Prince Rainbow's Blessing
by kamikazitwinkie
Summary: Sam is just an average kid leading a normal life, until Prince Rainbow intervenes and changes his life forever.
1. Prologue

Hello, and welcome to Prince Rainbow's Blessing! Thank you for giving my story a chance, and I hope you enjoy it.

**Important:** The story is currently going through a face-lift. Two years between writing the first chapter and writing the last creates a rather large change in story quality. You will be able to track my progress with the chapter jump pull down window. The first version of each chapter just has a number for the title, whereas the corrected version will have an actual name. For example "Chapter 1," the chapter after this, became "The Boy on the Rainbow." If I were you, I would wait until all the editing is done before starting the story, but that is your choice. Thank you all the same!

Legal stuff: This is a fanmade work of fiction and is not intended to be used for profit making purposes. Watership Down, the book, and the television program are the properties of their respective owners.

Prologue

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

_Ugh, _thought Sam as he heard his alarm go off, _why do the mornings have to be so early_? The seventeen year old threw off his covers and shut off the alarm. _Well, _he thought to himself, _I suppose I better get ready for school. _He walked down the stairs of his family's home, taking care not to wake his parents or his little sister, Molly. As he sat at the table in the kitchen, he turned on the morning news in case anything interesting occurred. The television program was filled with the same stories as always: economic crash, war, environment problems. _It's the same thing every day, our stupid world has the same problems over and over, but nothing ever gets done to fix them. _He sighed. _Sometimes I wish I could just get away from all this crap, at least for a while. _Looking at the clock, Sam realized he was running a bit late for school and knew his friend Cody would be at his house in a couple of minutes to pick him up. So he quickly finished his breakfast, got dressed, and waited for Cody to show up.

Five minutes later, Sam was sitting in the passenger seat of Cody's red truck on their way to their school on the outskirts of New York City. "Can you believe it?" Cody asked excitedly, "We just have to get through this one more day, then no more school for the whole summer!"

"Yup, just awesome," Sam responds with a bored tone in his voice. He never saw what the big deal about school was. Other kids seemed to hate it, but Sam actually found it kind of invigorating, hearing about all the marvelous places in the world. Sam was a pretty outdoors type of person, but there was not too much for that near New York, so listening in school was as close as he could get.

As the two pulled up to their school, a girl came running up to the truck. "Hi guys! How are you two doing today?"

"Good Becka," they replied automatically. Sam continued, "What's got you so happy today? Did the library get a new shipment of books or something?"

"Oh haha, very funny," she said, "Just because **some** of us can't live just reading the same book over and over…whatever. I'm so happy because we only have one day of school left before summer break! Isn't it awesome? I'm so excited, the three of us should hang out the whole time, it'll be so awesome!"

"You know," said Sam, ignoring her outburst, "I may only read one book, but you can't deny it's amazing. Watership Down has elements so many of these current books lack: companionship, cleverness, and all while keeping it at a real world level. How many of these authors nowadays could match **that**?" Just as he finished his tirade, the trio heard the school bell ring.

"Alright nerds, enough chitchat," said Cody cutting in, "we have to get to class. You know if we're late one more time we'll get detention for sure. I, for one, don't plan on starting my vacation with another hour and a half of school."

With a collective sigh, the three friends went along on their standard day of school. Since it was the day before the long vacation, none of the teachers did anything productive, instead using the time to give typical last day of school speeches. For Sam, the day went by dreadfully slow, since there was nothing to keep his active mind occupied. As the day wound to a close, the friends met again in the same place in the parking lot to make some plans for the coming break.

"Alright, first day the movies," Becka started with no preamble, forcing the other two to listen to her list of activities, "then we have the beach, maybe go see a Yankees game, and of course a picnic. Oh, I almost forgot, there's a performance of Sound of Music coming to our area soon, we absolutely **must** see it! Oh, doesn't this sound fun guys?"

"Oh yeah," they answered, reverting to their monotone voice from the morning. "Well Becka," Cody continued, cutting off another stream of planning, "we have to get going. My mom said that she wants me home right after school because I have chores or something, see ya later!" With that, he quickly pushed Sam towards his truck.

"Oh, well, alright. But I'll call you tonight and we can finish the planning then, sound good? Guys?" But they were already out of the parking lot.

(Line Break)

"Alright, Sam, here's your house," said Cody as they pulled in the driveway. "I'll talk to you later if I get done with those chores at a decent hour. We can make some real plans then."

Sam replied, "Sounds good buddy. Talk to you later." As he walked into the house, he noticed there wasn't anyone home. _Well that's weird, usually my sister is home by now._ As he continued to think, he remembered the rest of his family was out of town for the next couple of days. Something to do with his sister's dance group, they were doing a performance in another town. _Oh well,_ he thought to himself, _at least I won't have to worry about getting permission for a few days._

The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. Sam had a microwave pizza for dinner since he felt too lazy to make anything that actually required skill. After he got tired of flipping through the channels, he decided he might as well turn in for the night. _After all, _he reasoned, _the sooner I get up in the morning, the sooner I can start having fun with this vacation._

He went up to his room and put on his pajamas, brushed his teeth, and shut off all the lights in the house. Just before he climbed into his bed, he opened his window. _Wow, it's pretty hot in here tonight. Boy, I sure hope it doesn't rain, but that's a risk I'm willing to take._ As he climbed into bed and slowly drifted off to sleep, he failed to see the sight that would have amazed anyone: a small rainbow, seemingly out of nowhere, fell from the sky right into his room.


	2. The Boy on the Rainbow

Chapter 1-The Boy on the Rainbow

"SAM. SAM. WAKE UP, SAM."

These were the words that drew Sam out of what he thought was a normal night of sleep. As he began to stir, the first thing that he noticed, even before he opened his eyes, was how bright it was. _What the hell,_ _who opened my curtains?_ As he opened his eyes and rubbed out the blurriness, a marvelous sight came into focus. The first thing he noticed was that where his ceiling was supposed to be, he saw clouds and blue skies, and those clouds looked awfully close! "What th-" he began as he sat up. What he saw took the will to speak out of him. The reason the clouds seemed so close is because Sam was sitting on what could only be described as a pathway floating in the sky made of rainbow! Sam looked down and saw a sprawling countryside. Immediately below him, he could make out a medium sized farm with a field that appeared to be filled with almost ready crops. The more he looked around, the more sights he saw: an old crumbling bridge that was half destroyed, some train tracks, a winding river, and way off in the distance, he saw what looked like a coal plant. There was a building spewing black smoke, giving the entire area a gloomy look. But to his right, he saw the most wonderful sight of his life. Sitting on a high hill that almost radiated safety and peace, he saw a lone beech tree with its branches gently swaying in the wind.

"AH, I SEE YOU HAVE AWAKENED. DO YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, YOUNG ONE?" A voice from behind Sam and surprised him so badly, he almost fell off the rainbow. Only a sudden gust of wind helped him keep his balance. "HAHA, MY APPOLOGIES, I CAN UNDERSTAND YOU BEING SURPRISED, THIS MUST SEEM A BIT ODD. ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF: MY NAME IS PRINCE RAINBOW."

_Prince Rainbow? Like, from Watership Down? _Sam turned in the direction of the voice and received yet another surprise. The figure was at least thirty feet tall and was dressed in a flowing robe that covered him from the neck down. The robe seemed to contain every color Sam could think of. As he looked up, he saw a face that was both old and wise, and as Sam looked in Prince Rainbow's eyes, he immediately felt a bit calmer. Sam hesitantly replied, "Um, right. Hi there…Prince Rainbow…my name is Sam." _Alright, this is messed up. I must be dreaming, I mean, I'm floating on a __**rainbow**__ for God's sake! Oh well, I might as well play along._ "So, where exactly am I? I mean, it's a nice view and all, but I'm…on a rainbow. How did I get here?"

"OF COURSE YOU ARE CURIOUS, AND I DO NOT BLAME YOU. HERE IS AS SHORT OF AN ANSWER TO YOUR INQUERIES: THE REASON YOU ARE HERE IS BECAUSE I HAVE CHOSEN YOU TO BE MY MESSENGER TO A VERY SPECIAL GROUP OF LORD FRITH'S CHILDREN. I AM SURE YOU KNOW OF THEM, FOR THEY ARE HAZEL'S BAND OF RABBITS THAT WILL BE ARRIVING ON WATERSHIP DOWN IN THE NEAR FUTURE. YOU CAN SEE THE DOWN FROM HERE, IT IS ON THE SAME HILL YOU WERE LOOKING AT BEFORE WE BEGAN SPEAKING."

"Wow," Sam finally said after a moment of stunned silence, "so I'm in a world with the Watership Down rabbits, and I actually get to **meet **them? That's awesome! This is the coolest dream I've ever had, and it's so clear too! Maybe I'll remember some of it when I wake up!"

Upon hearing that, Prince Rainbow was genuinely surprised. "YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU THINK ALL OF THIS IS A DREAM?"

"Well duh," Sam replied arrogantly, "of course it's a dream. I mean come on, right now I'm sitting on a rainbow miles in the sky talking to a fairy tale character that's telling me I'm going to go meet my literary heroes? Of course it's a dream!"

"WELL, I SUPPOSE WE SHALL HAVE TO GET THAT FOOLISH NOTION OUT OF YOUR HEAD RIGHT NOW." And with that, Prince Rainbow conjured a book out of thin air and threw it at Sam, hitting him in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him.

"Ow!" said Sam, caught off guard by the sudden act of aggression. "What was that for?"

"READ THE FIRST FEW WORDS," Prince Rainbow replied, ignoring Sam's question.

"Whatever," Sam said. He picked up the book and began to read, while at the same time thinking this dream might not be as cool as he originally hoped. "The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to pick his way towards the lagoon." He finished the quote, still confused and annoyed. "There, I read it, now what does that prove?"

"SAM, BEING THE SMART BOY THAT YOU ARE, SURELY YOU DIDN'T FORGET TWO KEY THINGS THAT AREN'T POSSIBLE IN DREAMS? THOSE OF COURSE BEING THAT YOU CAN'T FEEL PAIN, AND THAT BOOKS HAVE NO PRINT IN THEM. SINCE THESE TWO THINGS BOTH OCCURRED, THEN LOGICALLY, YOU MUST NOT BE DREAMING." Prince Rainbow's analysis was meant to appeal to the ever-active logical side of Sam's mind, which it succeeded at.

Sam was thinking it through, and although he wasn't quite sure on the book theory, it was true that you can't feel pain in dreams. _But if you can't feel pain in dreams…but it can't be true, it just can't!_ "Prince Rainbow, how is this possible? How do I just suddenly appear in some other world? This doesn't make any sense!"

"CALM DOWN, SAM!" Prince Rainbow said as he felt a wave of panic rush through the teen, "YOU ARE MAKING A PROVERBIAL MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLE HILL. BESIDES, I THOUGHT YOU WERE UNHAPPY WITH YOUR OWN WORLD, WOULDN'T IT BE NICE TO GET AWAY FROM IT FOR A WHILE?"

At this Sam glared at Prince Rainbow, "Listen here, my world may be messed up, but that doesn't mean I wanted to leave it! You can't just steal me away from everything without any type of permission! I demand you take me back!"

Prince Rainbow lost his temper after hearing this. "YOU THINK TO DEMAND SOMETHING OF ME YOU FOOLISH CHILD? HOW DARE YOU! YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN A GIFT THAT MANY PEOPLE WOULD KILL FOR, A CHANCE TO ACTUALLY MEET AND INTERACT WITH YOUR HEROES, AND IN YOUR PANIC YOU DEMAND TO THROW IT AWAY? WELL THAT IS UNFORTUNATE, BECAUSE I HAVE MY ORDERS DIRECTLY FROM FRITH HIMSELF: YOU ARE TO FOLLOW AND HELP THE WATERSHIP RABBITS TO THE BEST OF YOU ABILITIES UNTIL THEY ARE AT PEACE. THIS IS YOUR ONLY OPTION IF YOU WANT TO FIND YOUR WAY HOME, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME, SAM?"

"I…I…fine," Sam said, feeling defeated. "I'll play your little game Prince Rainbow, I'll help them." But Sam's optimistic attitude couldn't help but resurface. "Besides, it **will** be pretty cool getting to actually meet all of the Watership Down rabbits. So…how exactly do I get off of this rainbow?" Sam looked around, but he didn't see any immediate way down.

"WE WILL GET TO THAT. BUT FIRST I HAVE GIFTS FOR YOU, AS THIS IS A DANGEROUS WORLD YOU ARE GOING TO BE ENTERING. YOU MUST HAVE WAYS OF PROTECTING YOURSELF. MY FIRST GIFTS, ARE THESE: YOUR WEAPONS." Prince Rainbow waved his hands and three things appeared in the air in front of Sam: two identical wicked looking knives, and a black pole that was a bit longer than Sam's forearm. "THE STAFF YOU SEE BEFORE YOU WILL BE YOUR GREAEST TOOL IN THIS LAND. YOU AND IT ARE CONNECTED, AND IT WILL HELP YOU IN YOUR QUEST."

"Right. It's a bit short, don't you think?" Just as Sam said this, he noticed a nondescript crack in the middle of the rod. Upon closer inspection, Sam realized it was a button. _Well, here goes nothing,_ he thought to himself as he pressed the button. As soon as he did, the ends of the rod extended outwards until the staff was a total of nine feet long! "Cool," Sam said, as he took a few practice swings with it, "it's weirdly natural, almost like it was made for me." It was then that Sam noticed that the ends of the staff had odd holes in them. He decided to ask Price Rainbow, "What are these for?

"IF YOU LOOK AT THE HILTS OF THE TWO KNIVES, YOU SEE THEY ARE THE RIGHT SHAPE TO FIT INSIDE OF THE HOLES, GIVING YOU REMOVABEL EDGES ON THE END. I DESIGNED THE WEAPON LIKE THIS SO THE WIELDER COULD DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT TO USE THE WEAPON FOR LETHAL FIGHTING, OR SIMPLY FOR SELF-DEFENCE.

"Well I have to say," Sam said with an impressed tone in his voice, "this thing is pretty solid. I am honored that you allow me to use it."

"YOU WILL NEED THEM. THE STAFF ITSELF WILL NOT DEGRADE OR BREAK, AND THE BLADES WILL REMAIN EVER SHARP. BUT I HAVE MORE FOR YOU, MESSENGER." With that, Prince Rainbow laid his hands on Sam's head. Just as Sam was about to ask what he was doing, he felt a warmth flow thought him.

"Wha-," Sam started, only to be interrupted by Prince Rainbow.

"I have imbued you with certain magical abilities, EACH ONE CORRESPONDING TO A DIFFERENT COLOR OF THE RAINBOW. HOWEVER, THESE YOU WILL DISCOVER ON YOUR OWN, WHEN YOUR NEED FOR THEM IS GREAT. AS YOUR POWER GROWS, YOU WILL EVENTUALLY BE ABLE TO CALL UPON YOUR POWERS AT WILL AND BE ABLE TO SHAPE THEM IN DEFERENT WAYS.

"Wow, all of this stuff is just…unbelievable. I know I was acting kind of childish at the start of all this, but thank you for helping my anyway Prince Rainbow." Sam put his new equipment away, the staff went into a holding tube attached on his shirt to the small of his back, and the knives went in sheathes on his belt.

…Belt?

"Hey, what happened to my pajamas?" Sam exclaimed, looking down at himself. Where before he was wearing polka dot pajamas, he was now wearing a dull grey tee shirt and similarly boring cargo shorts. He even had brand new hiking shoes.

Prince Rainbow chuckled. "SURELY YOU DID NOT EXPECT TO WALK AROUND IN THOSE FLIMSY THINGS THE WHOLE TIME? THESE CLOTHES WILL BE MUCH MORE SUITABLE. THEY ARE INCREDIBLY DURABLE, AND WILL AUTOMATICALLY REPAIR WHATEVER DAMAGE YOU **DO** DO TO THEM. SAME THING WITH THE SHOES."

The teen nodded, impressed. "Um…I don't supposed it would be polite to ask for a little color?"

"IT WOULD NOT."

"Got it, these will be perfectly fine. Thank you very much. Now, about actually getting to Watership Down?"

"YOUR GIFTS ARE COMPLETE, SO I SHALL TAKE MY LEAVE FOR NOW. BUT YOU SHALL BE HEARING FROM ME LATER, MESSENGER, DON'T FORGET. THE OF RAINBOW WILL TAKE YOU TO WATERSHIP DOWN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND THE NIGHT. I WILL SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN IN THE MORNING. FAIRWELL!"

As Prince Rainbow disappeared, Sam suddenly noticed the ground below him was moving. The rainbow carried him to the down at an alarming speed. Sam almost thought he would crash into the beech tree, but to his relief, the rainbow slowed to a stop when he got there. As Sam stepped off the rainbow and onto Watership Down, he was instantly filled with a sense of tranquility. He took another look at his surroundings from the ground level, and the sight was breath-taking. The countryside stretched as far as the eye could see on all sides, the evening sun giving the land an almost magical quality. Sam turned to the beech tree to see about finding somewhere to sleep for the night, when he made a shocking discovery: he had shrunk! The beech tree seemed as high as a skyscraper, and when he looked around a bit closer, he noticed that all the grass was up almost half way to his knees! Realizing there was nothing he could do about his reduced size, the teen began to search for shelter. He looked around the base of the tree for what he was hoping would be there. _Come on, where is it…yes! _ He found a hole at the base of the tree that led to the famous chamber that would soon be known as the Honeycomb. With his thoughts racing through his head, Sam entered the burrow and lay down to sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, on a hill near Nuthanger Farm, a familiar group of rabbits was digging scrapes for the night as well. Suddenly, the smallest one yelled out, "Hazel, Bigwig, look at the hill, it's a rainbow! Oh it must be a blessing from Prince Rainbow, he's welcoming us to our new home!"

"Yes Pipkin that's all well and good, but unless Prince Rainbow plans on helping us dig these scrapes, we can worry about that later." This came from a large rabbit with a distinctive tuft of fur on his head that worked its way around his neck like a lion's mane.

"Oh come now, Bigwig," said a brown, thin rabbit, "a blessing from Prince Rainbow shouldn't be ignored. It's a symbol of hope. Prince Rainbow is saying we made the right choice in following Fiver and leaving Sandleford and coming here."

"Of course Hazel," Bigwig replied sarcastically. "How silly of me to worry about shelter when there're rainbows about."

"Well, we'll get to see the full extent of that blessing tomorrow," said another smallish rabbit. "We should get there about midday, right Hazel?"

Hazel answered, "That's right Fiver, one last day as hlessil, and then we'll have a home forever. Now come on and get some sleep everyone. We still have a long walk tomorrow."


	3. First Encounter

Chapter 2-First Encounter

"Come on everyone, on your feet! We still have a long journey until we get to the hill, and it would be smart of us to get there during daylight, in case we run into any trouble." This outburst from Bigwig came just after Frith broke over the horizon, eliciting groans from the rest of the rabbits. All but a dark gray one who apparently had grown used to Bigwig's bellowing. "**Hawkbit**! I said everyone, now move you layabout!" The captain followed this with a light cuff the ear to be sure he woke up.

"Gah! By Frith, Bigwig, I'm awake," Hawkbit yelled, startled. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to let us sleep a bit longer. Frith himself isn't even fully awake yet!"

Bigwig replied, "Well that's just too bad isn't it, because **you **are. Now on your feet!" After a quick morning silflay, the rabbits continued their journey, their steps considerably lighter than the previous night due to their proximity to their goal. They had not been traveling long when they came over a hill and saw Nuthanger farm.

"Um, Hazel? Bigwig?" said a lanky, yellow furred rabbit. "Seeing as we're so close to all this flayrah, do you think we might head down and take a sample?"

The two spoke together quickly before Hazel answered. "Well Dandelion," Hazel responded, "ordinarily this would be too risky in the middle of the day, especially since we're not exactly in top form after all this traveling, but I think we could all use a reward after all our hard work. Just be careful, and keep your ears and noses up."

With that, the group made their way over the hill towards the farm. They came upon a stone fence that would have reached up about to mid-chest on a man, making it much too high for the rabbits to jump over. After some nosing around, they found a hole in the base of the wall, hidden in the brush. Bigwig, leading the way, slowly entered the hole and looked around on the other side. To his left, there was a typical shed that most likely held tools for farming, and beyond that was the farmer's house. Almost directly in front of the hole and off about 30 meters was the field with the flayrah, and behind and to the right of that was a large barn with one door open slightly. "Looks safe enough, alright you lot, start through, but be cautious. There could be elil lurking about."

A few minutes later, the rabbits were happily munching away on the flayrah in the field. Murmurs of "oh, you must try this," and "this is simply amazing" floated around the field. As Pipkin was eating a head of cabbage on the corner of the field nearest the barn, he suddenly noticed a mouse walking by. His curiosity peaked, he decided to try and communicate with it in hedgerow, a common language spoken by all animals, but spoken fluently by none.

"Hello little mouse," he began, "me Pipkin, what your name?"

The mouse rolled its eyes and replied in perfect lapine, "Nice to meet you, Pipkin, my name's Hannah."

Pipkin's eyes widened when she started talking. "You speak lapine? How did that happen? I mean, you're a mouse!"

"You see," she, for the voice was obviously feminine, replied patiently, "when I was growin' up, my family lived close to a warren of rabbits. I grew up around it, so it just came natural."

"Oh, I see," Pipkin said, his flayrah completely forgotten. "So Hannah, do you live here on this farm?"

"Oh definitely not! There's a cat around here, and everyone knows cats and mice don't really mix. Me and a gull friend of mine, his name's Kehaar, we're lookin' for somewhere nice to live, free of danger and whatnot."

"I have a wonderful idea," Pipkin said, almost jumping with excitement. "Why don't the two of you come and live with us? We're going to that hill there. Our friend, Fiver, says it's going to be very safe there, and just yesterday Prince Rainbow gave us his blessing to live there, so it just **has **to be true! Here, let me speak to my friends, Hazel! Bigwig! Everyone! Come over here and meet Hannah, she going to come and live with us!"

Dandelion, being the fastest, was the first to reach them. "What are you going on about Pipkin? Who's going to live with us?"

Pipkin waited for the rest to gather before he began his explanation, "This is Hannah, she and Kehaar, he's a gull, are going to come and live with us on the high hill! Oh please can they, Hazel?" he asked with hope in his eyes, "I'm sure they can help us, pleeeeeease?"

"Well, they can come for now," he said with an exasperated tone. "We can talk about the future when we get there. Now let's get moving, there's a cat about." The rest of the rabbits turned and saw a sat glaring at them from a distance. They were back on their way in a flash.

* * *

Meanwhile on the down, Sam was waking up as Frith's morning rays hit him in the face. _Ugh, why did I sleep right by the entrance? Whatever, at least I'll have plenty of time to prepare for meeting Hazel and the rest today. Speaking of which, how exactly do I go about doing that? I can't imagine they're going to be very pleased to see a human on the down._

_ "_OF COURSE THEY WON'T," Prince Rainbow said as he appeared behind Sam, startling him so much he jumped face first into the nearest wall, "YOUR PRESENT FORM IS ENTIRELY UNSUTABLE FOR INITIAL INTERACTION WITH THE RABBITS. BUT THAT IS WHERE THOSE MAGICAL ABILITIES I GRANTED YOU YESTERDAY COME IN, FOR I WILL NOW TEACH YOU OF TWO OF THEM, THE POWERS CORRESPONDING TO THE COLORS PURPLE AND BLUE."

"In the future, you **could** do a bit more to let me know you're here," Sam said as he got his wits back, "you almost gave me a heart attack." Then as what Prince Rainbow said registered with the shaken teen, he continued with excitement, "You're going to teach me some of those powers? Awesome! Alright I'm ready, what are they?"

"WE WILL BEGIN WITH THE POWER CORRESPONDING TO PURPLE. PURPLE IS A COLOR OF MYSTERY AND ENLIGHTENMENT, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT IS A COLOR OF TRANSFORMATION. THIS POWER, AT ITS BASEST LEVEL, WILL ALLOW YOU TO PHYSICALLY TRANSFORM INTO A RABBIT, THUS ALLOWING YOU TO FREELY ENGAGE WITH THE GROUP THAT WILL BE ARRIVING TODAY."

This took Sam completely by surprise, "I'm actually going to turn into a rabbit? That's…pretty cool. I mean, rabbits aren't exactly the toughest bunch around, but considering the circumstances, I suppose it works. Alright, so what do I have to do to make this happen? Wave my hands? Say some magic words maybe?"

Prince Rainbow scoffed, "NOTHING SO TRIVIAL, I ASSURE YOU. NO, TO ACCOMPLISH THIS FEAT, AS WILL BE THE SAME WITH ALL OTHER POWERS YOU SHALL COME TO FIND, YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO ACTIVELY MANIPULATE THE SPIRITUAL ENERGY IN YOUR BODY. FEEL WITHIN YOURSELF SAM, TRY AND FEEL THE ENERGY'S FLOW, HOW IT TIES YOU TOGETHER AND MAINTAINS ORDER IN YOUR BODY. CAN YOU FEEL IT?"

Sam closed his eyes and concentrated on his body. After a few minutes, he began to notice a pattern in his body, almost as if he could feel the energy cycling with every beat of his heart. He opened his eyes and nodded to Prince Rainbow.

"GOOD. NOW, IMAGINE THAT ENERGY SLOWLY TURNING PURPLE, UNTIL IT FILLS YOUR ENTIRE BODY."

This was a bit harder. Sam more "felt" the energy in himself rather than saw it. It took some time, but eventually Sam was able to use his imagination to attach a mental picture to the energy flow he felt. The hard part complete, it was a simple task to imagine it turning purple. Sam again nodded to Prince Rainbow.

"NOW COMES THE HARDEST AND MOST DANGEROUS PART. WITH MY BLESSING, YOU ARE ABLE TO CONTROL THE ENERGY, NOW THAT YOU HAVE INFUSED IT WITH YOUR WILL BY TURNING IT PURPLE. NOW, YOU MUST SLOWLY WILL ALL THE ENERGY TO LEAVE THE OTHER AREAS OF YOUR BODY, AND CONVERGE ON YOUR HEART, FOR ONLY THE HEART HAS THE POWER TO HANDLE SUCH MASSIVE AMOUNT OF ENERGY AS IS STORED IN THE REST OF YOUR BODY. ONCE THE ENERGY IS THERE, YOU MUST ACT QUICKLY, OR ELSE YOUR BODY WILL DIE WITHOUT IT. YOU MUST THINK FIRMLY IN YOUR MIND OF A RABBIT, PICTURE YOUR RABBIT SELF IN YOUR HEAD, THEN AS SOON AS YOU THINK YOU ARE READY, RELEASE YOUR GRIP ON THE ENERGY, AND IT WILL CHANGE YOU."

With these thoughts in mind, Sam began to think about how he would look as a rabbit. _I suppose it would be better to get this straight in my head now rather than when my life is on the line_, he thought to himself. After some deliberation, he had a mental picture and was ready to get started. But one stray thought entered into his mind. "Prince Rainbow," he said, "what about my weapons and clothes?"

"DON'T WORRY ABOUT THEM," Prince Rainbow responded, "THE WEAPONS ARE DIRECTLY LINKED TO YOUR BODY'S ENERGY AND WILL COME AND GO WITH YOUR HUMAN FORM. IT IS THE SAME WITH YOUR CLOTHES. NOW BEGIN."

Sam nodded and regained his focus. Following Prince Rainbow's instructions, Sam began to pull all his energy into the area of his chest where his heart was. The first thing he noticed as he did this was an overwhelming weakness in the first areas of his body to lose their energy, these being his arms and legs. His arms grew tired and hung limp at his sides, and his legs became so weak that he fell to his knees, then onto his side as the energy further left his body. But he never lost his concentration, and soon he had all the energy bundled inside his heart. Remembering Prince Rainbow's warning, Sam fought through his weakness-muddled thoughts and focused on his mental picture as a rabbit. As soon as he was sure, he released the energy. As it reentered his body, he began to grow light headed and with a bright flash of purple in his eyes, he lost consciousness.

He awoke after a few minutes with a slight pain in his head. As he tried to massage his temples in an effort to relieve the pain, he noticed that he wasn't reaching with a hand, but rather with a paw! _It worked, _he thought to himself with wonder, _I'm really a rabbit! _He looked along the length of his body and saw that he was neither lean, nor overly plump, just an average rabbit that was a tad large, but nothing too special. He also noticed that his hind end was colored black, turning suddenly to white just past his back legs. He attempted to get up, but lost his balance and plopped back to the ground in a spread eagle.

This made Prince Rainbow chuckle, "YOU MAY FIND IT A BIT DIFFICULT TO STAND AND MOVE AROUND AT FIRST. AFTER ALL, A NEW BODY TAKES SOME GETTING USED TO. BUT I MUST SAY THAT WAS NICELY DONE SAM, SUCCESSFUL ON THE FIRST TRY. AS YOU GET USED TO THIS TRANSFORMATION, IT WILL NOT TAKE SO MUCH OUT OF YOU. YOUR POWERS ARE STILL NEW. I WILL GIVE YOU A LITTLE TIME TO GET USED TO YOUR NEW BODY, BUT THEN WE MUST MOVE ON TO THE POWER OF BLUE."

After a few more attempts, Sam managed to get to his feet. Within ten minutes, he was taking short, shaky hops around the burrow, quickly getting the hang of walking as a quadruped. _Huh,_ he thought to himself, _this isn't so bad. In fact, I could probably get used to this. But, I really thought that with my now massive ears, my hearing would have gotten better._ He was about to voice this concern to Prince Rainbow when he was interrupted.

"YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT WHILE YOU HAVE THE BODY OF A RABBIT, YOUR SENSORY SKILLS ARE STILL THAT OF A HUMAN. THE BLUE POWER WILL CORRECT THAT. AS BLUE IS A COLOR OF HARMONY AND UNITY, SO SHALL IT HELP YOU TRULY BECOME ONE WITH YOUR NEW BODY. SIMPLY PUT, THE POWER OF BLUE ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE THE SENSES OF A RABBIT TO MATCH THE BODY. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SMELL SCENTS OF SPECIFIC ANIMALS, YOU HEARING WILL IMPROVE, EVEN YOUR SENCE OF TASTE WILL CHANGE. GRASS WILL TASTE GOOD AND EDIBLE TO YOU, AND THE FOOD KNOWN AS FLAYREH WILL BE LIKE A DELICACY ON YOUR TOUNGE. I BELIEVE THIS WILL TAKE CARE OF THE FOOD ISSUE YOU WERE **ALSO** WORRYING ABOUT?

_Wow, _Sam thought as he listened to the last part, _is he able to read my mind or something? _

"YOU COULD SAY THAT," Prince Rainbow responded to the wordless question. "BUT BACK TO THE POWER. THIS SHOULD BE CONSIDERABLY EASIER THAN THE TRANSFORMATION, SEEING AS YOUR LIFE WILL NOT BE THREATENED DURING THE CHANGE. YOU MUST SIMPLY FOCUS ON THE ENERGY IN CERTAIN AREAS OF YOUR BODY THAT YOU WANT TO ALTER, THEN YOU MUST TURN IT BLUE TO IMBUE IT WITH YOUR CONTROL LIKE BEFORE. AFTER THAT, YOU SIMPLY NEED TO CHANEL THE ENERGY THROUGH YOUR BRAIN, WHICH IS THE CONTROL CENTER OF YOUR SENSES. DO THIS WHILE IN THE BODY OF A RABBIT, AND YOUR SENSES WILL ALTER THEMSELVES TO FIT THE NEW BODY'S CAPABILITIES. DOING THIS WILL REAP OTHER BENEFITS AS WELL: YOUR INSTINCTS WILL SHARPEN, AND YOUR BODY WILL ALSO BEGIN TO EXUDE A SCENT JUST LIKE A NATURAL RABBIT. NOW, GIVE IT A GO.

This proved easier as Prince Rainbow said, and a few minutes later, Sam was ready to begin walking around the burrow exploring with his new senses.

"BEFORE YOU GO SCURRYING ABOUT, LET ME TAKE THE TIME TO INFORM YOU ABOUT REVERSING THESE EFFECTS. IT'S RATHER SIMPLE: TO CHANGE BACK TO HOW YOU WERE BEFORE, YOU NEED TO REDO THE RITUALS, ONLY WHILE FOCUSING ON YOUR HUMAN SELF. EASY ENOUGH, NOW HAVE A LOOK AROUND, YOU LITERALLY HAVE A BRAND NEW WORLD AROUND YOU NOW.

With that said, Sam got to work exploring and testing out his new self. That included his now functioning whiskers, which told him much more about the size and shape of the warren than his eyes could in the darkness, even thought his rabbit eyes had pretty good night vision. With his improved sense of hearing, he found he could hear sounds that were further out, or sounds that before were too quiet to hear. His own footsteps seemed to echo, even though it was just paw pads walking on dirt. He even worked up the courage to try a mouthful of grass and found it to be…rather bland. It no longer tasted as terrible as it did in his human form, but there was no redeeming quality about it. _Almost like the lunch at school, _he thought, _made for nutrients and nothing else_. After his exploration, Prince Rainbow beckoned him over.

"SAM, NOW THAT I HAVE TAUGHT YOU THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO INTERACT IN THIS WORLD, I WILL TAKE MY LEAVE. THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME THAT YOU SEE ME IN PERSON UNTIL YOUR TRIALS IN THIS WORLD ARE ENDED AND IT IS TIME TO MAKE YOUR WAY HOME. THE REST OF YOUR POWERS AND THEIR MYRIAD USES YOU WILL DISCOVER WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT. NOW I SUGGEST YOU SPEND THE REST OF THE DAY PREPARING YOURSELF, HAZEL'S BAND WILL BE HERE JUST AS THE SUN TOUCHES THE HORIZON. GOODBYE, SAM."

Then he was suddenly gone in a blink.

_Well that was…weird. Oh well, I guess I'd better do as he says and get ready. Convincing real rabbits that I'm a rabbit may be tricky. Oh! I can chalk it up to being his messenger! That gives me a good excuse to act a little strange. At least until I tell them I'm human. _With that thought firmly in his head, Sam went outside to familiarize himself with the immediate surroundings on the hilltop, ultimately ending with a nap in the shade.

* * *

"Keep it up everyone," Hazel said encouragingly, "we're almost to the top." The group behind him let out a collective groan. Many of them were very tired, and Fiver and Pipkin looked ready to drop where they stood.

"Once we get to the top, we can rest and eat, but not before," Bigwig added, fatigue in his voice as well. "The hillside is too exposed for my liking. At least at the top we can keep a watch. Now on your feet and move!" This did the trick better than Hazel's pep talk, and soon enough the rabbits were coming over the edge of the top. As they looked around, they became so stunned by the beauty of their new home.

Blackberry was the first recover. "This…this place is amazing. I never would have thought such a paradise existed. We shall be very happy here, I'm sure."

Hawkbit continued, "Yeah, it actually makes that walk and crossing that embleer river worth it." This was met by stares of amazement, since it was so rare for Hawkbit to actually **not** complain about something.

"Fiver," said Dandelion, "thank you for making us leave to find this place. Even if Sandleford wasn't destroyed, this was worth leaving for."

Hazel nuzzle Fiver in the side. "Indeed it was little brother. You did a marvelous job leading us here. We all owe you our thanks." This was followed by statements of agreement from everyone, especially Pipkin.

"Oh yes oh yes Fiver," he said excitedly, "between you and the blessing from Prince Rainbow, this is sure to be the greatest place in the world to live.

All this praise was beginning to embarrass Fiver, so he decided to change the subject. "What do we call should we call this new home of ours?"

Hazel considered for a moment before answering. "How about…Watership Down?" The other wordlessly nodded their agreement."

"Right then," Bigwig said, breaking the silence, "we should probably get started looking around for the best place to dig a new warren. Blackberry, you're the best digger here, keep your eyes open." And with that, they began to hop towards the tree.

* * *

Sam was sleeping on the other side of the tree that the rabbits came up from, so he wasn't immediately seen by the rabbits. Soon enough, however, his peaceful sleep was interrupted as he felt himself suddenly pinned to the ground with claws digging into his shoulders. He opened his eyes in shock, but was more surprised by who he saw above him. Pinning him to the ground was a large rabbit with a distinctive tuft of hair on his head. _Holy crap,_ he thought to himself, completely forgetting the situation he was in due to his excitement, _it's Bigwig! _He looked to either side of him and saw the other rabbits as well. He was about to say something when a sharp demand from Bigwig snapped him back to reality.

"Who are you and where did you come from," Bigwig demanded, "tell me before I claw your throat out!"

"Um, hello," Sam struggled to say under Bigwig's large weight, "my name is S-" _Wait, _he thought suddenly, _I can't tell them my real name, it's a human name! Crap, alright think Sam, what's a good name for Prince Rainbow's messenger? _"My name is…Suh…um…Sun…flower. Sunflower! That's it, my name is Sunflower." _…Fantastic._

"Bigwig, that's enough. One rabbit isn't enough to be a threat to all of us," said Hazel. With one last glare, Bigwig got off of Sam. After he was sure Bigwig wouldn't cause any more trouble, Hazel continued. "It's nice to meet you, Sunflower. My name is Hazel, and this is Hawkbit, Blackberry, Fiver, Pipkin, Dandelion, and the big one who sat on you is Bigwig. Those are our new friends, Hannah and Kehaar," he gestured over to the mouse and gull, who were watching the proceedings with curious looks on their faces. "Now, not to be rude to someone we've just met, but where **did** you come from? We've been looking around and haven't found any traces of any other rabbits for quite some way. Not even any scent coming or going off the hill."

_Well, _thought Sam anxiously, _here goes nothing._ "That makes sense actually. You see, I'm not a normal rabbit. I have been sent here by Prince Rainbow as a messenger to assist you in your endeavors in turning this place into a home. I only just got here yesterday myself, and Prince Rainbow had a rainbow carry me here. So I haven't really had too much time to run around." Sam finished and looked around to see how everyone was taking the news. Pipkin, Dandelion, and Hawkbit seemed to go right along with it. They were staring at "Sunflower" with wonder in their eyes. However, Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, and Blackberry had some doubts in their eyes. Blackberry was the first to voice her concerns.

"Well that's a lovely story, and you seem to be a nice enough sort, but how do we know if it's true? Did Prince Rainbow give you special powers? Or magical talents? What can you show us to prove you are who you say you are?"

This caught Sam by surprise. Of course he had powers and all, but the only one they could see would be counterproductive as it would leave a human boy standing in front of a group of already suspicious rabbits. Sam decided to speak the truth. "I…can't show you yet. I **do** have abilities, but I'm afraid if I showed you know, you'd only fear me. For now, I just need you to trust me. I swear, I will never do anything to harm any of you."

This got all the rabbits thinking. What could this stranger be hiding? Is he a threat to our home? The silence was broken by Pipkin, "I think we should trust him. Even if he isn't a messenger of Prince Rainbow, I don't think he could get through whatever the real blessing would be. And there's no way he could beat all of us in a fight, right?"

Kehaar interrupted from where he stood with Hannah. "Ya! Rabbit is not a threat. Kehaar can beat a rabbit any day!"

After thinking hard on what Pipkin and Kehaar said, Hazel finally responded. "Fine. He can stay for now. Sunflower, you will be kept under close watch until such a time as you can either prove your tale, or we find out the truth. For now, let's all find somewhere to sleep for the night. We can talk more in the morning."

Sam lead them back to the burrow he found the night before, and upon discovering that it was big enough for them all, they crawled in and went to sleep, with Bigwig between Sam and the exit. _Well, _Sam thought to himself as he lay there, _this isn't quite what I had in mind, but at least I didn't get kicked out._ That was his last thought as he fell asleep for the second time in his new body.


	4. The Truth Revealed

Chapter 3-The Truth Revealed

As Sam was sleeping that night on Watership Down, he began to dream. For a while, he dreamt of his home, of the normal life that awaited him at the end of all his trials here. Whatever they might be. The thought of going back did not appeal as much as he thought it would. A vacation from the real world might be nice. Later, he dreamt of Prince Rainbow. Sam was wishing that he could still ask questions, there was still so much that he did not understand. It was at this thought that he woke, but something was off. Even though he opened his eyes, Sam still only saw darkness. He could not feel anything around him either. It was as if he was floating. Just then, a bright light appeared behind him. He "turned" around, which was rather difficult to do since it felt like he was floating. As he turned, he saw the wizened face of Prince Rainbow staring back at him.

This, of course, surprised the teenager a great deal as he "jumped" back, yelling in surprise. "What's the deal? Where am I now?! God, why do you keep doing crap like this to me? You know, I would be **totally** fine with a normal, on the ground conversation. Not on a rainbow, or in…wherever the heck we are now." And upon finally noticing one very important detail, he added, "and why aren't I a rabbit anymore?"

"SO NICE TO SEE YOU TOO SAM," Prince Rainbow said sarcastically, "I'VE BEEN JUST FINE, HOW ABOUT YOU?" Seeing the glare Sam shot him, Prince Rainbow rolled his eyes and continued, "TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION AS TO WHERE WE ARE, WE'RE IN YOUR MIND. YOU'RE STILL DREAMING. IT'S THE MOST CONVENIENT WAY TO CONTACT YOU. AND YOU ARE A HUMAN HERE BECAUSE THAT IS HOW YOU PERCEIVE YOURSELF. SO YOU APPEAR HUMAN HERE IN YOUR OWN MIND TO REFLECT THAT."

Sam, growing numb to the increasing insanity of his life, responded nonchalantly, "Oh of course. Make **perfect** sense."

Prince Rainbow continued, ignoring the teen. "I BROUGHT YOU HERE BECAUSE, WELL, I FORGOT TO TELL YOU SOMETHING PERTAINING TO YOUR POWERS."

"Whoa whoa whoa," Sam interrupted, "you **forgot**?! You're Prince Rainbow! How do you just, **forget** something?"

"BLAST IT YOU LITTLE- I'M NOT PERFECT ALRIGHT!" Sam, seeing that he had struck a nerve, mumbled an apology. Prince Rainbow continued after a deep breath, "NOW LIKE I WAS SAYING, I DID NOT TELL YOU SOMETHING THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT ABOUT YOUR POWERS YESTERDAY. YOU RECALL THAT YOUR POWERS ARE TIED TO YOUR SPIRITUAL ENERGY? WELL, THAT ENERGY IS NOT UNLIMITED. THINK OF IT AS A MUSCLE, WITH ENOUGH WORK, YOU WILL EVENTUALLY BE VERY POWERFUL, BUT SINCE YOU ARE JUST BEGINNING, YOUR SPIRITUAL ENERGY IS RELATIVELY WEAK. BY USING YOUR POWERS, YOU ARE STRAINING YOUR SPIRITUAL ENERGY. THE POWERS OF PURPLE AND BLUE ARE A CONSTANT DRAIN ON YOUR ENERGY. IMAGINE THAT YOU ARE JUST HOLDING SOMETHING WITH YOUR IMAGINARY MUSCLE I MENTIONED EARLIER. THE LONGER YOU HOLD IT, THE HEAVIER IT GETS, UNTIL EVENTUALLY IT SLIPS OUT OF YOUR GRASP, YOUR MUSCLE OVERWORKED. WHEN THAT HAPPENS, AND YOUR ENERGY IS USED UP, YOUR BODY EXPERIENCES SOMETHING KNOWN AS SPIRITUAL BACKLASH. BASICALLY, THE ENERGY IN YOUR BODY SNAPS INSTANTLY BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL CONFORMATION. YOU MIGHT NOT THINK THAT SOUNDS TOO BAD, BUT YOUR BODY WILL BE WRACKED WITH PAIN. RATHER **BAD** PAIN, I MIGHT ADD. AFTER THIS HAPPENS, YOUR POWERS WILL BE USELESS FOR THE NEXT TWENTY FOUR HOURS. ANY QUESTIONS?"

Sam thought carefully through everything Prince Rainbow had said, and eventually came up with one thing that didn't sit well with him. "Not that I'm ungrateful for this information, but is there a reason you decided to tell me now? I mean, this seems like the kind of thing you could have done any time. So, why tell me about the looming threat of immense physical pain now, of all times?"

"YOU DON'T MISS A BEAT DO YOU? YOU PROBABLY HAVE IT MORE OR LESS FIGURED OUT. INDEED, THE REASON THAT I AM TELLING YOU IS BECAUSE ONCE WE LEAVE HERE, YOU HAVE ABOUT 40 SECONDS BEFORE THE BACKLASH SETS IN. ANOTHER REASON I CAME IN YOUR DREAMS IS BECAUSE THE HUMAN BRAIN CAN REGISTER ALL OF THIS CONVERSATION MUCH QUICKER THAN YOU COULD AWAKE. IT SEEMS LIKE WE HAVE BEEN HERE ABOUT 45 MINUTES, WHEN IN REALITY, YOU HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS DREAM FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS NOW."

"Well that's just wonderful," said Sam. "So I'm going to wake up, go through intense pain, then probably get mauled by the seven rabbits that I'm going to surprise by turning into a human right in the middle of their warren." He sighed. "This looks to be a great morning."

Prince Rainbow responded, "I WILL BE THERE TO HELP YOU SAM. SAY ANYTHING, **DO** ANYTHING TO GET OUTSIDE. ONCE THERE, I WILL SEND THOSE RABBITS A SIGN THEY CANNOT POSSIBLY IGNORE. JUST HAVE FAITH IN ME. OH, AND SEEING AS YOU WILL BE LOSING YOUR ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND THE LAPINE LANGUAGE WHEN YOU LOSE THE BLUE POWER, I WILL BE TRANSLATING WHAT THEY SAY INTO YOUR MIND. BUT JUST FOR TODAY. CONSIDER IT MY APOLOGY FOR THIS OVERSIGHT."

Sam thought this through and figured that was as good as it was going to get. "Alright, Prince Rainbow, I guess that's all I can ask. I'm about as ready for this as it's possible to be." He cringed. "Let's go."

"VERY WELL," said Prince Rainbow. With those words, Sam suddenly felt himself falling, until he fell back to sleep.

* * *

Sam awoke with a start. As he looked around, he realized he was back in the burrow surrounded by sleeping rabbits. He was also back in his rabbit body. He barely had time to take all this in, when the effects of the backlash started. It began with a tightness in his chest, barely noticeable, but it soon spread until every muscle in his body tightening painfully. The energy left his limbs, just as Prince Rainbow said, but it was much quicker than Sam himself did the day before. The sensation felt like something was cutting through the inside of his body with a knife. Unable to withstand the pain, Sam yelled. This, of course, had the effect of waking up the other rabbits, who starred in shock and confusion as Sam writhed on the floor of the burrow.

Pipkin, being the caring fellow that he is, was the first one to say something. "Sunflower, what's wrong? Are you alright?" But even Pipkin was shocked by what happened next.

As Sam was on the ground suffering through the muscle spasms, it suddenly felt like his entire body was being engulfed in flames. The next thing he knew, he felt the same weakness he did when he first transformed, leaving him without the energy to move while suffering the pain in silence. Suddenly, an incredibly bright flash came from Sam's body that was so bright, it blinded for a few moments. As their vision cleared, they were frozen with shock to see a human boy lying where Sunflower had once been. As Sam was recovering, so were the rabbits.

"What in Frith's name…," began Hazel, who was at a loss as to what had just occurred. "Where did this…human…come from?

However, Bigwig had other ideas about how to handle the situation rather than idle wondering. Letting out a mighty battle cry, Bigwig soon had the boy pinned to ground, the same way he had pinned Sunflower just the other day. "Embleer ithè," he yelled with hatred clear in his voice, "what did you do with Sunflower? Tell me!" This he accented by pressing his claws further into Sam's shoulders, which would have pierced Sam's skin were it not for Prince Rainbow's special clothes.

Upon feeling the Bigwig's claws dig into his flesh, Sam snapped out of his pain-induced stupor. "It **is** me! Prince Rainbow changed me into a rabbit so I could help y- arrgh!" He was unable to finish his statement because upon hearing his story, Bigwig proceeded to deliver a raking slash across Sam's chest. This did make it through the shirt, and drew blood.

"Do you really think we bloody buy that? You humans are all the same, you'll do anything to destroy us rabbits for the smallest reason. Well you're not welcome here. And with such a prime opportunity, I don't know if we can miss such a chance to destroy a member of the deadliest kind of elil."

As Sam realized what he meant, he began to panic. Seeing the agreeing looks on the faces of all the rabbits except Blackberry and Pipkin, who had backed nearer to the entrance to stay out of any potential fighting, only increased his fears. "Wait," he said with desperation in his voice, "Prince Rainbow told me to go outside! If you'll just let me go…"

Hawkbit interrupted, "so you can just run? No way ithè, that trick isn't going to work on us, we're too clever," he finished with a vain look on his face.

Sam realized they would not listen to him, so he did what Prince Rainbow told him: he did anything to get out. Sam took a deep breath, and suddenly kneed Bigwig twice in the stomach, causing the large rabbit to collapse on top of him. He shoved Bigwig off of him and into Hazel, Hawkbit, and Dandelion, causing the four of them to become so tangled that Sam was able to slip by as Blackberry ran over to try and help them. Kehaar was the next to jump in Sam's way. The gull stood taller than Sam, and attempted to peck at the teen's shoulder with his sharp beak. Sam jumped out of the way and tackled Kehaar to the ground. Before the bird could react, Sam jumped up and ran. He continued his charge toward the entrance when Fiver made a half hearted attempt to tackle him back. Since Sam was actually bigger than Fiver, it was a simple move to shove him aside. Then, the only thing standing between Sam and the exit was a very scared looking Pipkin. This caused Sam to hesitate, and jump over the frightened buck instead of plow through him. Having gotten by all the rabbits, Sam burst out onto the hill top, where he stopped to take a breath. As he looked back, he saw the five bucks, minus Pipkin, hot on his trail, and soon they had him surrounded.

_Alright Prince Rainbow, _Sam thought to himself, _whatever you're going to do, you should do it pretty dang soon!_ As he saw all five of the rabbits tense up for the attack that would finish him, he closed his eyes and braced himself. The seconds ticked by slowly, but Sam did not feel the crushing weight or the teeth tearing into his flesh like he expected. He opened his eyes just a bit, and saw all the rabbits, Hannah and Kehaar, staring at him with expressions of awe. As he opened his eyes the rest of the way, he saw what had them all so amazed: he was bathed in a pillar of rainbow that stretched straight down from the sky. As he looked up, he failed to realize his clothes were glowing. Surrounded by the bright light, his clothes changed.

Sam looked down and it was his turn to be amazed. Where before his clothes were grey and dull, they were now filled with color. Reds, blues, yellows, and every color in between swirled on Sam's shirt and pants. His cloths looked like a maelstrom of color. Sam took this in silence, awed at the colors of his garments. But while Sam was gawking at his new wardrobe, Hazel, Bigwig, Fiver, and Blackberry were having a serious discussion, while Pipkin, Kehaar, Hawkbit, Hannah, and Dandelion were only listening half-heartedly. They were still amazed by the pillar of rainbow.

Hazel was the first one to find to find his voice after the shock. "So, what now? This…we cannot ignore this. There is no doubt in my mind that he is who he says he is: Prince Rainbow's messenger. But a **human**! How? How do we handle this situation? Even El-ahrairah never had to do anything like this. For once, I must say that I don't have a clue what to do."

Bigwig had an answer come immediately to mind. "Hazel, we cannot let him stay. He's elil! That…ITHÈ, has no place among the good animals of Frith. That is why they are separate from the rest of nature: they can't help but destroy everything around them! I say we ask Prince Rainbow's forgiveness, and run him out, if not kill him outright!"

Blackberry did not agree. "Bigwig, we can't do that! If Prince Rainbow sent him here, then human or not, we should accept his help. There must be a good reason that he's been sent, we just need to find out what it is. I can't say that I'm comfortable with having a human living with us either, but I don't think we have a choice.

"Fiver," said Hazel after hearing the others' takes on the situation, "what do you think?"

With this question, Fiver sat for a minute and thought deeply. The others assumed he was trying to use his seer powers to look for any danger. But what he did next was a surprise to them all. He turned away from them and began slowly hopping towards Sam. Sam, who noticed that the leaders of the group of rabbits were talking and decided to stay quiet and wait for his verdict, was almost scared by the approaching rabbit, but he stood his ground. Fiver came and stood right in front of Sam, and the two of them looked deep into each other's eyes. After about a minute, Fiver smiled, and went back to the group of three. "I believe…he is good," Fiver said. "I can't be sure, but I sense no malice in him whatsoever. In fact, he's more scared of this whole situation than we are. I think that should we let him stay, we will find a true and powerful ally in him."

Pipkin, having remembered Sam's actions in the burrow, put in his own opinion. "I don't think he wants to hurt us. Back when we were underground and he was trying to escape, he could have hurt Fiver and I pretty badly while the rest of you were all tangled, but he didn't. He pushed Fiver aside, and he actually stopped and ran around me, and that's when he thought he was in danger. Why would he do that? I say we trust him."

"Tell that to my bruised tailfeathers," Kehaar grumbled.

"Sorry," Sam chimed in. "You're big. It was the only way to get by you."

"Embleer Frith," exclaimed Bigwig, "we can't do this! We cannot take in a human, it's unnatural! Just wait, if we let him stay, he'll wait until we lower our guard, and then he'll strike!"

Hazel considered this, but eventually relented. "It seems as if we have no choice Bigwig. Who are we to go against the word of Prince Rainbow? If he has sent this human to help us, then we must make the best of it." That decision made, Hazel, Fiver, Blackberry and Pipkin went over to Sam to explain the situation.

As they approached, Sam began tried to guess their intentions. _Well, if it's those four, it can't be too bad, right? I mean, if they meant to kill me, surely Bigwig wouldn't be staying back. _He finished his internal monologue just as the rabbits got close enough to talk to him, but still stayed a fair distance away. Hazel began.

"Sunflower, we have talked it over, and even though it goes against everything we've been taught about man, we will honor Prince Rainbow's wishes. You may stay, and help us if you can. We…are sorry about earlier. We should have tried to figure out how a rabbit could suddenly have turned into a man, instead of wantonly attacking."

After hearing this, Sam let out a deep breath that he did not realize he had been holding. "Well," he began, "that's a relief. Thank you, for trusting me. I swear to you that I'll make myself useful. And don't worry about attacking me, I completely understand. I mean, that had to have been rather unnerving, me just appearing like that. I honestly don't blame you. Oh, and my name is Sam by the way. I made up the name Sunflower since I couldn't really use a human name in rabbit body, could I?" He finished with an awkward laugh.

Pipkin returned with a laugh of his own, "No, I don't suppose that would have gone very well. Oh, and thank you for not hurting me earlier, I know it would have been easy."

Fiver continued with praise of his own. "Yes Sunflo- Sam, thank you from me as well. After the effortless way you shoved me aside, I was a bit scared to try attacking you again. But, I must say that your restraint is admirable, even in the face of danger. I could tell when I looked into your heart, you are a very merciful soul who truly has no desire to fight or hurt anyone."

Seeing Bigwig about to begin on his opinions, Hazel quickly interjected, "Yes well, we still have to explain to the rest about all of this." This statement made all of them look over at Hawkbit, Dandelion, Hannah, and Kehaar who were simply watching from the side.

The group of rabbits and Sam went over to their friends and explained the situation about how Sam was going to be staying with them. This sparked varying reactions, with Hawkbit being the first to voice his concerns. "For once in my life," he said, "I agree with Bigwig. I just think that it would be stupid to have a human staying so close to us, no matter how friendly he seems." But upon seeing the looks on the others' faces, he relented. "Ugh, fine. But we'll have our eyes on you…Sam, was it...don't doubt that." His part said, Hawkbit went to talk to Bigwig, presumably about Sam.

Dandelion was a bit more excited. "I think this is absolutely amazing! It has the making of the greatest story ever told, right up there with those of El-ahrairah. You and I must have a long talk about your world, Sam. There may never again be such an opportunity." This got a chuckle from Sam and a promise that sometime when they had a boring day, they would talk.

Hannah and Kehaar were both a bit leery about the idea, especially since Sam had tackled Kehaar. But in the end, they agreed. Hannah walked away mumbling something about rabbits being stranger than she remembered.

After everyone was up to speed, Blackberry brought their attention to an issue still facing them. "That burrow we slept in last night was fine and all, but we really must make it bigger. It barely fit the lot of us last night. Not to mention that hopefully there will be more that just us here." This instantly sparked an argument from Bigwig about the ridiculousness of bucks digging when traditionally it was does' work. Sam sat by the sidelines while the rabbits sorted the issues out, and it ended up with Bigwig, Hawkbit, and Dandelion going off to keep watch with the help of Hannah and Kehaar, while the rest of the rabbits went to dig.

As Sam saw the rabbits split, he walked up to Hazel. "So," he began, "what should I be doing?"

This question caught Hazel by surprise since had forgotten about Sam while they were arguing. "Um, I'm not sure really. We've never had to think about that before. Can you dig? That might be the best place for you right now, seeing as Bigwig has taken a bit of a disliking to you."

"Well, I can sure give it a shot," Sam said. "I don't really know how effective I'll be since humans aren't really built for that sort of thing, but I'm willing to try. Maybe I can use the knives to hack away at tough ground? Prince Rainbow told me they wouldn't break."

"Yes well, whatever you think is best," Hazel said awkwardly.

Digging was a new experience for Sam, he had never really done any kind of hard labor back in his world. But with Blackberry guiding him along with the other bucks who had as little experience digging as he did, their work began to take rough shape. They started by digging four burrows, but Sam encouraged them to dig two more after Hazel told him what the sleeping plans were going to be until everyone had their own burrow. The plan was for Hazel and Fiver to share a burrow, Hawkbit and Dandelion, Bigwig and Pipkin, Kehaar and Hannah, and Blackberry and Sam were going to have burrows of their own, making six necessary. The rabbits of course questioned digging more than they thought they needed to, since they could not count past four, and therefore could not grasp the issue. Sam tried to explain the concept of the number six, but eventually gave up and said, "We need hrair burrows, right? Well, we don't have hrair yet, so we need to keep going." That made much more sense to the rabbits.

During the time that they were digging, Sam made an effort to get to know his new companions a little better. He tried talking with Hazel and Blackberry, but both of them always became awkward when Sam was around, their speech becoming halting and not trying to carry a conversation along at all. Even Fiver was a bit hesitant around Sam, jumping easier and stuttering a lot. But Pipkin on the other hand could not get enough of the teen. The two ended up talking with each other the entire day, about anything and everything. Pipkin kept shooting question after question at Sam about his world, which Sam thought would have gotten annoying after awhile, but he just could not get mad at Pipkin's child-like innocence.

As Frith was setting below the horizon, the entire group gathered on the hill top for evening silflay. The rabbits, having done hard work all around, were so hungry that all they concentrated on was their food. None of them noticed Sam standing a little ways away looking out over the landscape. He was looking around for any source of food for a human. Since he was temporarily stuck in his human body, he had to see about something else to hold him over for the night. Grass was not as appealing an option as it was the other day. Not finding anything within easy reach (it was much too late for a raid on Nuthanger Farm), he tried to keep his mind off his hunger by walking around the hill. Once he saw the rabbits finishing, he went back up.

Sam made it back just in time for Hazel to address the group. "Alright everyone, we've had a good first day. Our home has made real strides in actually becoming a home, and Bigwig tells me there are no signs of elil around for quite a distance away from the down. Let's get some sleep, tomorrow is a busy day too."

As the rabbits began to hop toward the burrow, Sam felt a firm paw on his shoulders. He turned and saw Bigwig with a serious look on his face. He spoke quietly with no hint of joking in his voice, "Listen up ithè, you may have the others fooled, but not me. Humans have never been friends of rabbits, and as far as I'm concerned, they never will. Now you listen closely, because I will not repeat this: the others have decided to let you stay, and for now, I'll respect what my chief and friends decided. But if you give me one reason, any reason at all, to think that you pose a threat to **anyone** in this warren, and I promise, I will personally end you. Clear?" Sam managed a weak nod, and Bigwig too went off towards the warren.

Sam was pretty shaken by Bigwig's speech. _You know, I didn't think meeting the Watership Down rabbit would go so…badly_, he thought morosely to himself. It was with faltering steps that he made his own way to the warren, only to be greeted by a happy looking Pipkin.

"Hi Sam," the young rabbit began, "I was just waiting to say good night. What were you and Bigwig talking about? Did he finally patch things up with you?"

Sam chuckled a little bit, his spirits restored by the cheerful little rabbit. "Not quite. It was nothing important Pipkin, just…letting me know what he wants from me regarding the safety of the warren." Sam would have continued, but just then, his stomach growled.

"Are you alright Sam," Pipkin asked with genuine worry in his voice. "What was that strange noise?"

_Too bad there aren't more humans as nice as him_, thought Sam. "It was nothing," he said out loud, "I'm just a bit hungry." Sam explained his situation with the food. "But it's not that big of a deal. I'll be able to turn into a rabbit again tomorrow, so I can just eat big then."

This idea did not sit very well with Pipkin. "Sam, you worked just as hard as everyone else today, it's not fair that you don't get to eat. I'm sure we can find you something around the down. I'll go talk to Hazel and the others." He was just about to run to tell the other rabbits when Sam stopped him.

"Pipkin, it's alright, really. I don't want to cause any trouble, especially when everyone is so shaky about my being here anyway. I'll live with skipping a meal, but thank you for your concern. Just, head off to bed alright? I'll see you in the morning." Pipkin was about to protest, but closed his mouth quickly and hopped off with a thoughtful look on his face. Sam thought nothing of it as he went into his own burrow and lay down on the dirt floor. _I don't know why I was expecting dirt to be softer. Oh well. I'd better get used to it, there's no telling how long I'll be here. _After a while, he fell asleep.

* * *

Pipkin waited until he was sure Bigwig was asleep before he quietly crawled out of their shared burrow. He made his way to the entrance of the warren and slipped into the night. "Sam will be so happy when he wakes up to flayrah tomorrow morning. After all, it can't be that hard to find." With this thought in mind, he set off down the hill, unaware that he was not the only one out that night looking for a meal.


	5. A Fight in the Night

Chapter 4-A Fight in the Night

Pipkin walked down the high hill, determined to find something for Sam to eat. Even with the improved night vision that comes from being a rabbit, he still stumbled over unseen obstacles during his trek. Eventually, he got to the bottom of the hill and stopped to consider where to look. He might have some luck if he searched in the nearby woods, but then he might not either. Instead, he decided to try a solo raid on Nuthanger Farm, where he was guaranteed to find something. "It might be dangerous," he whispered to himself, "but if no one else will help him, I guess it's up to me." With that in mind, he set off toward Nuthanger Farm.

* * *

At the same time on Watership Down, Sam was getting as good of a sleep as one can when sleeping on dirt, when he woke suddenly to find himself in a familiar position: pinned by Bigwig. Before he could formulate some response, Bigwig yelled in his face, "Where is he, ithè?! What did you do to him?!"

Sam was about to ask what he was talking about, when Hazel and the others appeared in the entrance to Sam's burrow. "Bigwig," Hazel said immediately, "what are you doing? Get off of him!"

"I will bloody well not!" Bigwig responded. "I woke up and Pipkin was gone! This ithè must have done something to him. He's not the type to just up and run off like that! Now," he said turning back to Sam, "where is he?"

Sam was just as surprised as the rest of them that Pipkin was gone. "Wait," he said, "Pipkin's gone? I didn't do anything you moron, now get…off of me." He finished by shoving Bigwig off of him like he did the day before. "I don't know where he is either, but don't you think we should be looking for him, instead of wasting your time accusing me?"

Bigwig was about to begin arguing, but Dandelion cut in, "He's right, chaps. We need to focus on Pipkin, before the elil catch wind of him." Saying this made everyone remember the issue at hand and soon everyone, except Kehaar and Hannah who could not see in the darkness, were out searching the down.

* * *

A little ways away from the down, a mouse was out trying to find a meal under the cover of night. As the little thing was looking about for stray seeds, it suddenly heard a twig snap. Without a second thought, it bolted into a nearby hole in the ground, just in time to escape the gaping maw of a weasel. The weasel looked down the hole and said in a smooth sleazy voice, "Come out little mousey, I not going to hurt you." But the mouse was smarter than that, and stayed right where it was.

Frustrated, the weasel went off to try and find easier prey. Just then, it came across the scent trail of a small rabbit that was traveling alone in the night. "Mmm," it said to itself, "longears," as it turned to follow the scent.

* * *

Pipkin had been walking for almost half an hour when he came up to the stone fence that surrounded Nuthanger Farm. As he looked through the hole in the fence, he saw that there were no elil around, since the cat and the dog were sleeping. Emboldened by this fact, Pipkin crept into the field and began looking around for something he could carry back easily. After a few minutes, he had two large carrots that he grabbed by the green parts and began to head back to the down. Unfortunately with the carrots that close to his nose, he could not smell anything else.

* * *

The weasel followed the scent to a hole in a stone fence. It figured the rabbit would be coming back through that hole, only full of food so it could not move as fast. The weasel waited and sure enough, out came a rabbit, half dragging half carrying two carrots. While this was not quite what the weasel had in mind when he thought "full of food," it did not alter its plan at all. It waited until the rabbit was in a good position for an ambush, then it pounced.

* * *

It had not taken the rabbits very long to pick up Pipkin's scent, and soon they were all following it toward Nuthanger Farm. But it also did not take very long before they found the weasel's scent right behind Pipkin's. Bigwig was the first one to find it, so he was in the lead followed closely by Sam who happened to be close by at the time. The rest of the rabbits were some yards back, and the distance was quickly increasing.

Hawkbit was breathing heavily, but still managed to think out loud. "When did Bigwig get so fast? And how in Frith's name is Sam actually keeping up with him?"

Even though the question was rhetorical, Fiver answered, "They're both worried. Bigwig feels guilty for letting him sneak out in the first place. With his owsla senses, it's kind of surprising. And as for Sam, Pipkin got pretty close to him the other day, closer than the rest of us bothered to get. So of course he'd be worried." Fiver sighed in regret. "Pipkin is essentially Sam's only friend right now."

"Well come ON then," said Dandelion as he put on a burst of his trademark speed. "What kind of rabbits are we if we get beaten by a human?" That got the rest of them running a bit faster too, but Bigwig and Sam were still pulling away.

As Bigwig and Sam sped on, they could see the fence of Nuthanger Farm coming up. As they got closer, they heard a surprised yell echo in the night. "Pipkin!" said Sam and Bigwig simultaneously. The two ran a little further and found Pipkin cornered against the wall looking terrified, and a weasel looking menacingly at him. Wasting no time, Sam and Bigwig launched an assault on the surprised weasel. Sam circled to one side and delivered two quick slashes with his staff. He had attacked the blade on the ends as he ran, preparing for a fight. Using the distraction, Bigwig tackled the weasel from the other side, knocking it to the ground as Sam danced out of the way.

Sam took the opportunity to cast a quick glance at Pipkin to make sure he was alright. He looked scared, but otherwise just fine. The weasel quickly recovered from the assault, and turned to lash out at the thing closest to it, which just so happened to be Sam. Sam ducked and avoided the jaws that were aimed at his neck, but he was caught along the shoulder with a wicked slash from the weasel's claws and went down with a cry of pain.

As the weasel was getting closer, apparently not as surprised as the rabbits at a human his size, Sam saw an opportunity. "Bigwig," he yelled, "get Pipkin out of here! I'll be fine, just go!" Bigwig shot Sam a glare that he returned, then nodded, grabbed Pipkin by the scruff of the neck, and ran. That taken care of, Sam focused his attention on the weasel closing in.

As the weasel again sprang at Sam and tried to tear out his throat, but failed as Sam held up his staff and caught the shaft between the weasel's jaws. Its weight pushed Sam to the ground, and the weasel stood over him, attempting to use its weight to power through Sam's guard. With the injury on his shoulder from earlier, Sam could feel his strength going fast. He thought it was over when suddenly the weight was taken off his arms and the staff was wrenched out of his hands.

* * *

Dandelion slowly broke away from the rest of the rabbits and came across Bigwig with Pipkin in tow. "Pipkin! Bigwig!" he yelled, "Are you alright? Where's Sam?"

Pipkin, still nearly tharn, managed to speak. "He…he's still…fighting the weasel. We need to…to help him! This is…all my fault." Dandelion gasped and ran back the way Pipkin and Bigwig had come and saw Sam pinned down by the weasel. Without thinking, Dandelion tackled the weasel off of Sam while trying to claw at its face. Although caught by surprise by his sudden appearance, the weasel wasted no time in fighting back, and quickly overpowered Dandelion.

By that time, all the other rabbits had caught up. Hazel and Hawkbit wrestled the weasel away from Dandelion, and in no time it was surrounded. The weasel, seeing he was gravely outnumbered, tried to look for a way out. "You'll find no meal here embleer weasel!" yelled Hazel. "Now leave here, and never return!" And Hazel backed away, giving the weasel a hole to run.

It darted through the hole, but it turned back and said, "We not done here, longears. I be back. When you not watching, I be back." It was about to continue its escape, when suddenly, it was thrown off its feet by an attack on its side. Before anyone could respond, Sam sunk one end of his staff into the weasel's throat with a sickening squishing sound, killing it instantly. He tore the blade out and began to clean it off in the grass, when he noticed the looks on the rabbits' faces. Everyone stared at him in terror.

"What?" Sam said, confused. "Did I do something wrong?"

The rabbits did not say anything, they just stared. Hawkbit was the first to move. He did not say anything, he just turn and ran away as quickly as he could. Sam looked after him in confusion. "Um…what-" He broke off as Dandelion and Blackberry followed Hawkbit back, both staying as far from Sam as they could. Fear was evident in their eyes. Fiver was the next to leave, as he went, he gave Sam a look filled with such sadness that it almost broke his heart. That left just Hazel.

Hazel gave Sam a hesitant look before speaking. "I…guess that's it then."

The tone in the chief's voice surprised Sam. "Are you alright, Hazel? What's wrong?"

"I just…" He trailed off, scaring Sam even more. Hazel was not known for being uncertain. "I wasn't expecting such…absolute action."

Sam felt the need to justify himself. "I didn't mean to alarm anyone. But you heard that weasel: it fully intended on coming back. I know it may have been a bit abrupt, but I might have saved someone's **life** by-" he took a small step toward Hazel, and froze when the chief jumped backwards. Sam stopped, and stood as still as he could. "Hazel, what's the matter? You're acting like I'm going to hurt you."

"And why would I think that?!" Hazel shouted suddenly. "What do you not get about this situation? We were scared to even let you into the warren, and then you go and show such power? You aren't even **trained**! This was the first real example we've had of just how dangerous you really are. I just…I have to go." With no further warning, Hazel turned and ran back towards the down, leaving Sam alone.

After Hazel left, Sam just sunk to his knees. _What did I do_? Sam thought to himself. _I didn't think…I was only trying to help_! With nothing else to do, Sam stood and followed Hazel slowly back to the down.

* * *

Meanwhile, the rabbits had gathered with Bigwig and Pipkin and were all making their way back to Watership Down. Bigwig noticed that everyone looked off, and asked what was wrong. After hearing the full story he proclaimed, "I knew it! I knew that ithe wasn't to be trusted! Hazel, we have to get rid of him, look how easily he killed that weasel, he could do that to all of us with just a thought! He's too dangerous!"

Pipkin piped in, "But he hasn't done anything to us. Maybe he **could** hurt us all, but he hasn't. The weasel would have killed me if Sam hadn't helped. Why does it matter if he's dangerous if he's on our side?" The question hung in the air as all the other rabbits avoided Pipkin's questioning stare. They were all thinking the same thing: had it been a rabbit that had done that, he would have been hailed as a hero. But it wasn't, it was Sam, a human. None of the rabbits could bear to say anything about it, until Fiver piped up.

"I forgive him, and I still trust him." Those were the last words said by the group until they got back to the down.

* * *

Sam got back to the down about ten minutes after the rabbits did. He looked at the hole for a while, and then went to sit on the hillside and look at the moon. _Man, I really messed up, _he thought with a sigh. _I hope they'll forgive me, I didn't mean to push them away even more, I was just trying to help. I will fix this, I swear it. _With that last thought, he fell asleep on the hill with a tear running down his cheek.


	6. The Injured Captain

Chapter 5-The Injured Captain

When Sam opened his eyes, he found himself again in front of Prince Rainbow in the dream state from the previous morning. "GREETINGS SAM," Prince Rainbow said, "AND HOW IS THE MIGHTY WARRIOR DOING THIS FINE MORNING?"

This statement didn't even get a smile from Sam as he recalled the events that occurred during the night. He sighed, "I really screwed up, didn't I? Now they're all going to hate me because of what I did."

Prince Rainbow wrinkled his brow in confusion upon hearing these words. "SAM, WHY WOULD THEY HATE YOU FOR KILLING A WEASEL? THAT THING WAS DANGEROUS YOU KNOW, YOU REALLY DID THEM A FAVOR BY DOING FOR THEM WHAT THEY COULDN'T DO FOR THEMSELVES."

Sam immediately shot back, "They're scared of me! Terrified! I may have ruined whatever chance I had of fitting in here because I killed that weasel without thinking. You didn't see the looks on their faces last night. Hawkbit is terrified of me, and Dandelion and Blackberry couldn't even look me in the eye. Hazel…Hazel could barely **speak** to me."

Prince Rainbow smiled inwardly before answering, "YOU JUST NEED TO HAVE SOME FAITH IN THEM, SAM. THEY MAY FIND IT DIFFICULT TO TRUST YOU FOR A TIME, BUT IT WILL BE ALRIGHT. YOU JUST NEED TO CONVINCE THEM, BEYOND A DOUBT, THAT YOU ARE ON THEIR SIDE." Prince Rainbow paused as Sam looked up at him with a glimmer of hope on his face. "I HAVE FAITH IN YOU. YOU WERE CHOSEN FOR A REASON." Prince Rainbow let his statement sink in for a moment before he spoke again. "WELL," he continued, "THIS HAS BEEN FUN, BUT I NEED TO BE GOING. THERE ARE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN CARE OF. OH, AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, YOUR POWERS ARE WORKING AGAIN, SO IT'S UP TO YOU TO TRANSLATE FOR YOURSELF FROM NOW ON. FAIRWELL. And without another word, he was gone.

* * *

Sam awoke on the side of the hill where he had fallen asleep the night before. He looked at the early morning sky and wondered what would have made him wake up so early when his stomach gave a loud gurgle. _Right, _he thought, _I'm really hungry. That would do it I suppose._ He was about to get up when he realized there was something warm pushed up against his back. He looked over to see a slowly waking Pipkin.

"Vao fu Frith, Sam," he said with a yawn. "Lung lay mi hyao?"

Sam just stared at Pipkin in confusion until he remembered that he was supposed to be translating lapine for himself now. He took a moment to activate his rabbit senses in time to hear Pipkin say, "…omething wrong? Stay here, I'll go get Hazel and Blackberry, they'll know what to do." He was about to head to the burrow when Sam stopped him.

"I'm alright Pipkin, I was just having some…hearing issues." Seeing the confused look on the little buck's face, Sam explained to Pipkin about his powers and how they worked. Pipkin was in awe as he listened to what Sam had to say.

"Wow, Sam," he said, "that's amazing! Do you have any other powers?"

"Well," he responded, "I think I'm supposed to, but I don't actually know what they are yet." Pipkin nodded in understanding and the two sat there looking at the countryside from the top of the hill. Even though he had already been there a couple of days, seeing nature like this was hugely refreshing for the New York boy. He hadn't realized how stifling the city could be until he got away from it. As they sat there for a little while longer, Sam thought of a question of his own. "Hey Pipkin," he began, "why were you sleeping out here anyway? I thought it was dangerous to sleep outside the burrow."

He looked at Sam confusedly before nuzzling against his torso. "Why were **you** sleeping out here? It's not any safer for you than it is for me. Besides, you saved my life last night. The least I could do was keep you warm." Sam looked at the little buck with a small smile on his face and gave him a little hug.

"Thanks Pipkin. But, aren't you scared of me too? After what I did, everyone else seems terrified of me."

"Wait, what are you talking about? Do you mean killing that weasel?" Sam nodded. "Sam, they aren't scared of you at all!" Seeing Sam's dumbstruck look, Pipkin tried to explain the best he could. "They were just a little…surprised last night. They didn't expect you to be so sudden with your actions. They stayed up for a long time talking about it, and after a while I didn't see you come in, so I went out to look for you. I saw you lying there on the side of the hill and you looked so lonely…"

Sam was surprised at hearing all of this. Maybe Prince Rainbow was right, and this would work out well after all! With this in mind, Sam said to Pipkin, "That's…that's really great to hear. And Pipkin, thank you. For keeping me company out here I mean. I know that it was dangerous for you, and it really means a lot that you would do that for me." The two shared another short hug before Sam turned back into his rabbit form and started to catch up on something that he had been seriously missing: eating. The two were going all around the top of the hill while Pipkin showed Sam which plants were good to eat, and which were better off avoided.

They were not out there too long before some of the other rabbits woke up and came out for morning silflay. The first ones out were Hawkbit and Dandelion. Dandelion greeted Pipkin and Sam like normal, his fear from the night before completely gone. Hawkbit just looked at Sam and mumbled some sort of incoherent greeting and hopped quickly away, embarrassment plain on his face. Blackberry and Fiver were the next to come out. Blackberry reacted the same as Dandelion, behaving as if last night did not even happen. Fiver, however, came over and had a more extended conversation.

"Good morning Sam and Pipkin, how are you two doing this morning?

"Fine" "Good" They answered at the same time. Sam asked back, "How about you? Is everyone feeling alright after last night?"

"We're all just fine Sam, but I'm more worried about you. Didn't that weasel scratch you last night? We don't want **you** to be hurt either."

"Thanks Fiver," Sam answered, "but I'm pretty sure I'm fine." He chuckled as he continued, "to be honest, I had totally forgotten about it until just now." Sam removed his shirt, and the three looked at the clotted slashes that were still on his shoulder. They decided they were going to be fine. No infection or anything.

"That's good Sam," Fiver said. "I'm glad you didn't get too hurt because of us." Just as he was about to hop off to find something good to eat, he gave Sam a little nuzzle and went on his way, leaving Sam staring after him and feeling in a great mood.

Sam ate for a while longer before he saw the sight he was dreading: Bigwig. _Alright, _he thought, _I'll just keep my head down and hopefully I can go a day without being pinned._ So Sam was doing just that when he heard someone come up beside him and stop. Looking up, he saw Bigwig looking at down at him with a look in his eyes that Sam could not quite place. Sam stood up and looked back at him. They stayed like that for a few seconds, which cause the others to look over at them, ready to jump in at any sign of trouble. They looked for another few seconds before Bigwig gave Sam a slow nod and hopped away to eat for himself, leaving Sam feeling quite confused. _Wait, what? What was __**that**__ all about? That was good, right? That must have been good, he didn't insult me or tackle me or anything, so it had to have been good. _ While he pondered the meaning of their encounter, he saw the last rabbit come out of the burrow: Hazel.

Hazel looked around the hill and upon seeing Sam, hopped over to him. He then gave Pipkin a "we need some privacy" look, and the little buck decided to go and join Fiver. With Sam staring at him in confusion, Hazel took a deep breath and began. "Sam, I wanted to apologize for the things I said last night. I didn't mean to-"

But Sam interrupted him, "Hazel, it's alright. I understand. While I'm not sorry for what I did, I certainly didn't want to push any of you away. I'm here to help you, and I'd like to be your friend. If you'd have me."

Hazel was caught off guard. The question was so simple, yet so complicated at the same time. "I…think I would like that."

"Thank you, Hazel," the boy replied. "You won't regret it, I swear." He then hopped over to Fiver and Pipkin and began eating with them, leaving Hazel standing there.

"No, I expect I won't," he said quietly to himself. With that problem taken care of, Hazel bent down to attend to his own breakfast.

After everyone had finished eating, the rabbits again split into the same groups they had the day before in order to finish the digging, which Blackberry said would be finished by the end of the day. Sam was about to follow the digging group underground when he changed his mind. He ran over to the owsla walking down the hill, much to Bigwig's annoyance. He asked, "And just what do **you** want?"

Sam hesitated before asking, "I was wondering if I could train with the owsla today instead of digging. It's not that I have anything against digging, but I need to get used to this body a bit more. I mean, what happens if I get into a position where I can't change into a human but still need to fight?"

"Then you figure something else out," Bigwig shot back, "because I do not, absolutely do **not** teach humans!

Dandelion tried to reason with him. "Oh come on, Bigwig, give the lad a chance. After all, he fought a weasel and won, and how many owsla rabbits can…do…that…" He trailed off after seeing the withering glare Bigwig shot him. He sighed, "Sorry Sam, I tried."

Satisfied that he wasn't going to say anything else, Bigwig turned back to Sam. "I won't do it. I don't care if you did kill that weasel, you're a human, and I don't teach humans. Now, go do some digging or something, we have training to do. Owsla! Move out!" And the three of them hopped off, with Hawkbit chuckling a bit.

_Well, _Sam thought, _I guess digging it is then. _He made his way to the burrow expecting to see the same flurry of activity that went on yesterday, but instead saw the rabbits digging much more slowly. As Sam was looking for a place to jump in, Blackberry came over to him. "Hello, Sam, where did you go?"

"I was trying to see if Bigwig would let me work with the owsla today. Just as a chance to get a bit more used to this body."

This made Blackberry start laughing. "Bucks are the same in any species aren't they? Always trying to get out of the digging. Anyway, we don't need any more help in here either I'm afraid. We're down to some of the more careful digging, so we need skill more than raw power. Not that you're so much less skilled than the others…" as she said this, the two heard the sound of shifting earth and looked over to see Hazel with dirt past his ankles and a look of annoyance on his face. "Case in point. You're just a little bulky to get into some of the smaller spaces. Thank you though." She then hopped off to try and help her chief in fixing his mistake.

Sam hopped out of the burrow and looked around the hill. _Well then, what am __**I **__supposed to do? Well, I suppose I could get to know the surrounding area, or something. Yeah, that sounds good. _Sam began to hop down the hill in the general direction of Nuthanger Farm, figuring that was the part they would be traveling through the most. He wasn't walking very long before he heard the sound of wings behind him. He turned and saw the gull, Kehaar, flying down towards him.

Kehaar landed and asked, "Sam, where you going? You not help other bunnies make home?"

After getting over the surprise of the gull's sudden appearance, Sam replied, "No, they don't need my help with the burrow and Bigwig won't let me train with the Owsla. So instead, I'm scouting the area around the down. I figure I might as well do **something**, right?"

"Oh ya ya," Kehaar answered with excitement, "that good idea! Kehaar help. I see things in sky you not see on ground." Sam nodded and the two of them set off. They went in circles around the hill that got further out as they went on. Sam made a mental note of all the good hiding spots that he could find, as well as any positions they could lay traps for incoming enemies. _We'll probably need those later, since Woundwort will eventually make his way here._ _Not that they know that. Hm, __**should**__ they know that? _ He kept the thought in his mind as they explored.

After a while of looking around, the two stopped by a river for a rest. Sam ate some of the plants Pipkin showed him earlier while Kehaar went fishing. As the two took some time to rest, Sam tried to get to know Kehaar a little better. "So Kehaar, where are you from?"

"From big water," he said with a voice that said 'where **else** would I be from'.

Sam caught his mistake. "Right, I mean...are you from-" he was about to say 'this county,' but that probably wouldn't have gotten him anywhere either. He decided to try another approach, "I mean, have you lived in this land your whole life? Or did you fly over the big water from somewhere else?"

"Ya, I come on boat from the east."

Sam nodded in acknowledgement. _Riiight, he was supposed to be from Norway? I think? Well, it __**is**__ to the east. _He was so caught up in thinking to himself, that he didn't hear Kehaar ask him a question right away. "Sorry Kehaar, I was daydreaming, what did you say?"

"I ask where you come from? You cross big water too?"

Sam answered, "Well, I suppose I came from America." Seeing the gull's blank look he added, "It's a land to the west. But as to how I got here, well, I'm still trying to figure that one out myself."

Kehaar just chuckled instead of questioning him like Sam was expecting. "Strange things happen in this world."

After a while longer, the two set out again. They looked around until dusk, and were just making one last sweep when Kehaar called out to Sam. Sam ran over to where the gull was hovering and stopped as a metallic smell hit his nose: blood. Before he even realized he had moved, he was ducking in some nearby bushes looking for the source of the smell. _Wow, _he thought in amazement, _those rabbit instincts work pretty well. There's no way I would have moved that fast normally._

Kehaar landed by Sam's hiding spot. "What you doing in bush? There hurt rabbit over there! Nothing else around, go help him!" Upon hearing these words, Sam followed Kehaar to a dark grey rabbit with a rather large gash on its side. The rest of its body had a decent number of scratches too.

Sam approached the injured rabbit cautiously and asked if he was alright. The rabbit, who was facing the other way, turned his head. "Bigwig, is that you?" This caused Sam to look at the rabbit curiously. _If this guy knows is asking for Bigwig, that would make him…_

Sam answered out loud, "No my name is S-Sunflower." _Maybe telling him I'm a human turned into a rabbit isn't the best idea until he's healed._ "But I do know where Bigwig and the other are. Here, let me help you." Sam got on the rabbit's uninjured side and helped stand him up. He was weak, leaning on Sam for support.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "My name is Holly. I'm from Sandleford like the others. Or rather, I **was** from Sandleford…until those ithéil came and destroyed everything!"

Even though Sam knew what had happened at Sandleford, the new was still sickening to hear. _Kind of makes me ashamed to be human_. He said to Holly, "I'm sorry that happened. Alright, we're going for the top of that hill over there, so you may want to save your strength." Holly nodded and the two of them continued on their way.

* * *

Back on the Watership Down, the rabbits were in the middle of silflay, having finished their tasks for the day. Looking around, Blackberry was the first to notice Sam's absence. She called everyone else's attention to the fact. "Hey, does anyone know where Sam went?" They began to look around, some of them with worried looks, when they heard Fiver shouting.

"He's coming up the hill this way! And there's another rabbit with him, is that…Captain Holly?" The rest of the rabbits went running as they heard this and helped Sam get Holly safely up the hill. They waited to get him into a burrow before they began asking questions. Bigwig was the first to say something.

"Frith above, Holly, how did you make it all this was with those wounds?"

Holly gave a weak chuckle before answering, "Oh come now Bigwig, have a little more faith in me, eh? No, I escaped Sandleford unharmed. Some of these wounds I got fighting off a homba that was about to sink its teeth into Pimpernel's neck. The two of us escaped together you see. After that fight, Pimpernel was too injured to go much further. Luckily, we stumbled upon a warren run by a fellow named Cowslip. He said we could stay and be a part of their warren, but we were set on finding you. I left Pimpernel there to heal up, and I continued my search. I had a close call with a hawk earlier, that's how I got this little scratch here," he gestured to the gash on his side as he said that. "I thought I was done for, but then I heard the oddest sound and the hawk flew away. It was right about then that Sunflower here found me and brought me here."

A few of the rabbits cast Sam glances filled with gratitude while the others kept their looks directed toward Holly. Hazel was the one to answer. "Oh yes Holly, Sa- I mean, Sunflower is quite the…**interesting** asset to this warren. But that's enough questions everyone, Holly needs rest to recover from his injuries. We'll talk more tomorrow."

"Why that's nonsense Hazel," Holly said as he tried to cover a yawn, "I'm perfectly alright."

"Good **night**, Holly," said Hazel as he herded the rest out of the burrow. Holly looked after them with a tired chuckle before falling into one of the deepest sleeps of his life.

As Hazel and the other walked outside, Bigwig suddenly said, "We need to go get Pimpernel. I don't like the thought of leaving him in some strange warren when he's injured. We should get to him as soon as possible, Hazel."

Hazel though about that before saying, "I can see where you're coming from Bigwig, but we might as well wait for Holly to get better. Pimpernel needs to heal himself, and it would be much easier for Holly to lead us there rather than trying to follow directions. Knowing Holly, we'll be on our way in a matter of days."

The rabbits seemed content with this plan and were about to disperse when Sam stopped them. "Wait," he said, "I…I think I should tell you something." The rabbits stopped and faced him with questioning looks.

"What is it," Hawkbit said with exasperation, "I'm hungry."

Sam stuttered, "Well, um…alright. You know how I told you Prince Rainbow just kind of dropped me on that rainbow and whisked me here? Well, where I come from, all this that's happening, is…well… a story."

"What do you mean a story?" Blackberry asked. "It's still happening, how can there be stories about it?"

"Hah, I wish I knew," Sam admitted. He had been thinking about how it was possible that he was here for the past few days. Was this a part of his world, or did he go back in time? Was he missing from his home however long he was here? "I've tried puzzling that one out for a while, but I'm not sure how our worlds are connected. You just have to believe me when I say that I essentially know the future for you guys. That's the reason I killed the weasel, because I knew for a **fact** that it would be back later. And…it's also why I know that going to Cowslip's warren…isn't a good choice.

Here, Bigwig couldn't stop himself from interrupting, "We are **not** leaving one of our own to stay in some strange warren. It doesn't matter how dangerous it is, we're going to get him."

Sam hesitated before continuing. "In the stories, you, Hazel, and Fiver, led by Holly, went to the warren. When you got there…you found out that Pimpernel had already died." Noticing the shocked looks on the rabbits' faces, he quickly continued to avoid any interruptions. "That warren is surrounded by snares. The rabbits there live knowing full well what's out there, but they don't leave. A farmer gives them flayrah and keeps any elil away from them. When one is taken by the snares, the others refuse to acknowledge that they ever existed. Pimpernel is gone. I'm sorry."

The rabbit's faces were filled with pain and loss from the news, but it wasn't long before Blackberry's intelligence came into play once again. "Sam," she said tentatively, "you said that in the stories, Holly went with them to the warren?" He nodded. "Well then, isn't it possible, although this might be a stretch, that Pimpernel was caught during the time that Holly would need to heal enough to be travel-worthy?"

Sam considered what she was saying, then his eyes widened. "That **could **be possible! The stories never said specifically when he was taken, so if we were to leave right away tomorrow morning…"

"There's a chance he could still be alive," she finished.

"You're a genius Blackberry!" Sam said enthusiastically. "Alright, I think we should make that our plan. Get directions from Holly in the morning and get there as fast as we can. Maybe we'll be in time."

"Alright everyone," Hazel said, "let's all get some rest. We don't know yet just how far we're going to have to travel tomorrow, and we need to be up for it."

The rabbits nodded their heads and started to walk back to the warren. Sam just sat there thinking to himself. _Well, I kind of doubt this is going to work, but we do have to try. _As Sam sat there, he finally noticed that Bigwig had held back from the rest of the group too, and that it was just the two of them out there. Bigwig came closer as Sam gave him a weary look. He just stared at Sam before looking away.

"Thank you"

Sam just blinked in confusion. "Wha- what?"

Bigwig continued, "Thank you, for saving Holly I mean. He was my teacher, my mentor in owsla training. He…he was the one I was most sorry to leave behind. So, thank you for bringing him back here."

Sam just stared with an incredulous look on his face before he answered, "Well, yes. Of course. You're welcome Bigwig. Good to see I'm not totally useless after all, right?" He added the last part with a hint of mischief in his voice. Probably not the smartest course of action, but everyone needed their moments.

Bigwig just snorted before answering, "Don't push it, you. As far as I'm concerned, you could still be a threat, so watch yourself." Bigwig sounded serious, but Sam noticed the corners of his mouth curling into a little smile.

He laughed in reply, "Of course, Bigwig. Whatever you say." And the two of them went into the warren to rest for the journey they would be taking the following day.


	7. Shining Wires

Chapter 6-Shining Wires

When Sam gained awareness, he found himself in the dream world. He didn't have to wait very long before Prince Rainbow showed up. "HELLO SAM," he said. "HOW'RE THINGS GOING? BETTER THAN LAST TIME?"

"Oh, you mean with the weasel?" Sam answered. "Yeah, you were right on the ball with that one. It worked out fine. I think Hawkbit is still a little leery of me, but it will be okay. Oh, we **are** going to a death trap warren trying to see if we can beat an unnatural death from coming to one of the rabbits from their old warren. So **that** should be fun, right? I don't suppose you can just tell me if we're going to make it in time, can you?"

Prince Rainbow laughed. "HOW SHOULD **I **KNOW? I'M NOT OMNISCIENT, SAM. HOPEFULLY YOU GET THERE QUICKLY."

"Yeah," he said back, "I hope so. Well, if there's nothing else you need from me, I think I'll be going. We have a long way to go today. I think. We don't really know where this place is, so we have to try and get directions from Holly."

"THEN, FAIRWELL. AND BY THE WAY, EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE JUST BEGINNING WITH YOUR POWERS, YOU **ARE** STRONG ENOUGH TO MAINTAIN THE BLUE POWER THROUGH THE NIGHT. AND YOUR PURPLE, IF YOU WISH. SO, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TURN IT OFF. HAVE FUN." And before Sam could ask what he meant, his vision faded back into darkness.

Sam snapped awake by distant screams of panic. Quickly turning back into a rabbit, he ran out into the main burrow to find a very distressed Holly surrounded by the others. "What's going on?" he asked.

Hawkbit shot Sam an annoyed look. "Oh, Captain Holly is a tad nervous because our warren **smells like man**." As he finished speaking, some of the others shot him annoyed glances as well.

Sam sniffed around. _Oops, they're right. So __**that's**__ what Prince Rainbow meant. Hm, how to fix this…_ "The wind probably just blew the scent up from Nuthanger Farm," he said, trying to sound confident. "That place positively reeks of man, all it would take would be a wind gust in our direction." Some of the rabbits, Holly included, looked at Sam in disbelief. Thankfully, Blackberry was quick to play along.

"Oh yes, Captain Holly, this sort of this has happened before. In fact, it happened the first night we were on the down. We thought Frith had forsaken us, leading us all this way only to have us captured on our first night. But it turned out to just be the…wind." The rest of them started muttering in fake agreement, while shook his head.

"Fine," Holly conceded with an odd look in his eyes. "That's as good an explanation as any, I suppose. I'm going back to sleep." He turned and hopped back into his burrow. _Oh yeah, _thought Sam sarcastically, _he __**totally**__ bought that._

Sam was broken out of his thoughts when he heard Hazel say, "Right, well, we should get ready to go and find this warren. I'll get directions from Holly before he goes back to sleep, those that are going, wait outside. Get something to eat." And he followed Holly into his burrow.

The group going to Cowslip's warren consisted of Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, Dandelion, Hawkbit, and Sam. That group, minus Hazel, was sitting on the hilltop talking about the journey. Many of them were worried about the types of rabbits they would find there. After all, who would choose to live in constant fear?

They had been traveling for a while (the rabbits just said hrair time, but Sam would have guessed right around an hour and a half). After about a half hour of traveling, they had gone through so many bushes and made so many turns that Sam didn't think he would be able to find his way back even with his rabbit senses. It was this thought that made his ask, "So…we **do** know where we're going, right?"

"Of course we do," Hazel said with confidence, "Holly just gave some…odd directions. He **did** get attacked between here and Watership Down, we can't expect him to remember everything perfectly. We'll get there soon, I'm sure."

"Soon" turned out to be two more hours of travel. The group was wondering along when the smell of other rabbits caught their noses. Following that smell, they came out of the woods and spotted two rabbits eating outside of a hill with noticeable burrows in the sides. Bigwig stared in amazement. "Well, not scared of being seen, are they?"

"Not so much, no," Dandelion replied. "Although, they **do** have that farmer keeping the elil away. Not that it looks like they particularly need it. Look how big they are! They might even be bigger that you, Bigwig!"

Bigwig seemed ready to protest when he looked at them again. "Yeah" he said grudgingly, "they just might be at that. Let's do our best to avoid a fight, eh?"

"Well come on," said Hazel. "Let's all go make ourselves known."

The group walked up to the two rabbits, one white and the other the same color as the carrot he was eating. The two looked at the approaching strangers with no fear, instead getting up and jumping around them in a circle. They chanted as one. "Welcome, welcome, greetings all, it's so nice of you to call."

The rest of the rabbits stared in confusion, while Sam just sat there with his mouth open. _Alright, _he thought, _that is __**creepy**__ in real life! _

Hazel took regained his senses and took charge. "Um, hello. We're friends of Holly's and we've come to get our other friend, Pimpernel. Where is-" He got that far before he was interrupted.

"My name is Cowslip," said the white one, "and this is Strawberry. It looks to rain soon, won't you come inside where it's warm?"

"Uh, yes, thank you," replied Hazel. "But you still didn't tell me where-"

"Splendid!" Cowslip interrupted again. "Come along then." He turned and hopped towards the burrow entrance.

The rabbits turned and looked at Sam with questioning looks on their faces. "I'm not sure yet, but there's one way to find out. Oh Strawberry?" he called to the orange rabbit, who was waiting outside to be sure everyone got in. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," he replied. "How may I help?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you've ever heard of a rabbit named Pimpernel. We were told he was in this area, but we seem to be having some trouble locating him. Can you tell me if you've ever met such a rabbit?"

Strawberry's eyes widened a little. Avoiding Sam's gaze, he managed to stutter, "I, um…no. I've…never met such a rabbit. Please excuse me." And he hurried into the burrow behind Cowslip.

"And that tells us…?" Hawkbit asked sarcastically.

Sam shook his head. "He's already gone. When a rabbit is taken by the snares, the others in the warren act like they never existed. It's a coping mechanism they use in order to keep from being driven mad from fear and loss." The group couldn't manage to say anything. They simply kept their head down in grief.

"Let's go."

"What?" Sam said, looking at Bigwig as he was the one that spoke.

"I said let's go," he said more forcefully. "There's no reason for us to stay here. If…if we didn't make it in time to save Pimpernel, then we should just get out of here and leave these tharn fools to their wretched lives." Just as he finished talking, the group began feeling raindrops hit their heads. They looked to the sky as it began raining harder.

"Well," Dandelion said tentatively, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't much fancy walking all that way back in the rain. We **could** stay here just until the rain stops."

Sam agreed. "He's right. It would be stupid to waste our time and energy trying to get back in this rain. And besides, there's no danger inside of the warren, just…all around." The group looked at the thick brush closest to the warren, imagining it full of snares.

Hazel nodded his head. "That sounds like the best course of action. Just be careful everyone. Watch each others' backs and no one goes off alone." The group headed into the tunnels. All except for Fiver, who hesitated at the entrance.

Sam and Hazel were the only ones that noticed, so they hung back as well. "Come on Fiver," Hazel said. "You can't stay out here all night."

"This place feels terrible Hazel," Fiver said with fear in his voice. "It feels cold and evil."

Sam was the one to answer this time. "I know what you mean buddy, I can feel it too. It just feels…foreboding. But right now it's our best option. Just give it a shot, we'll see if we can make it work, alright?" He nodded and the three of them headed inside.

As they entered the main chamber, they saw a number of rabbits that were about the same size as Cowslip and Strawberry. "By Frith," Bigwig exclaimed, "they sure are a healthy lot aren't they?"

Hazel was about to answer when Fiver cut in. "They aren't. They're like trees in November. They look beautiful, but there's no life here, only inevitable death." He was shuddering as he finished and Hazel moved closer to comfort his brother. It was then that Cowslip cleared his throat.

"Greetings all, gather around," he announced. "We are graced with guests this fine evening: Hazel and the members of his warren. Do try and make them feel welcome. And as an added treat, Silverweed will recite some of his famous poetry for us. Silverweed, if you please?" A skinny rabbit with white fur, almost bordering on silver, went to the middle of the chamber and began speaking.

Sam ignored Silverweed. He had never been much of a poetry lover, so instead he decided to sneak a better look at their hosts. As he looked at the faces nearest to him, he was drawn to their eyes. Everyone's pupils were contracted, despite being in these darkened burrows. They looked as if they were constantly terrified, yet still at peace listening to Silverweed ramble on. Sam suppressed a shudder as he heard a yell and turned in time to see a little brown blur make for the exit with Hazel close behind.

Sam ran outside and saw Hazel talking to a terrified Fiver under a nearby tree. "…can't stay out here all night," he heard Hazel say as he got closer. Hazel continued, "It's raining, Fiver, and there could be elil about, no matter what they say. And what about the snares?"

"I don't care Hazel," Fiver said, "I can't stay in that place. Didn't you see that big burrow? With its ceiling made of bones? I…I just can't."

Hazel looked like he was about to continue arguing when Sam interrupted, "I'll stay out here with him." Hazel jumped, having not heard Sam approach in his concern for his brother. "I'll be honest Hazel, that place creeps me out too. Have you seen their eyes? If you can ignore the rain, it's a pretty nice night."

Hazel looked between the two. "Are you sure?" he asked. They both nodded. Hazel shook his head, "alright then. But just…be careful, alright?" He then turned and hopped back the warm, dry warren.

Sam watched him leave, then turned to Fiver, who was trembling under a nearby tree. Sam went over and sat beside him. "Are you alright Fiver?" he asked with concern in his voice.

"You out of anyone should know that I'm not," he replied. "You know what goes on here, and you can see the underlying currents of fear and death that the others can't. I want to leave, Sam. I never thought I'd say this, but I'd rather walk in the dark and the rain then stay here another moment."

Sam sighed as he heard this. "In a way, I suppose this is kind of my fault." Seeing the buck's confused face, Sam continued, "I should have told you to stay back at the down. In the stories, if you hadn't been so distrustful of this place, the others may have decided to stay here. But since I already told them the truth, there was no need for you to come to this terrible place and go through this. I knew how much this place would affect you, but I didn't try and talk you out of coming." He sighed again. "I'm sorry, Fiver."

Surprisingly, Fiver gave a small chuckle. "Sam, I would have come no matter what. The reason I always choose to come on expeditions like this, despite the fact that I'm a pretty lousy fighter, is so I can keep watch over my friends and my family. I come to help in any way that I can. So please feel no guilt, Sam, because I certainly do not feel any need to blame you."

Sam just smiled and the two sat there for a while in companionable silence. But it wasn't long before Sam felt the need to move about. "Hey Fiver," he said as he got up, "I think I'm going to have a look around this place."

"Isn't that a bit dangerous?" Fiver asked. "After all, you yourself said this place is crawling with snares."

"It won't be when I'm done!" Sam exclaimed. "I'm going to see how many of them I can find and take out. At the very least it will piss off the farmer. And who knows, maybe we can get them to be out allies if we do this." _Instead of having Cowslip team up with Woundwort later_, he continued to himself.

He turned towards the nearest bushes when he heard footsteps behind him. "I'm coming with you," Fiver said. "You heard what Hazel said: no one goes off on their own, and that includes you, Sam."

"But Fiver," Sam said, "it would probably be safer for you to stay here under the tree. It's raining, and it will be much easier for me to deal with the snares than you. Snares aren't much of a danger to humans."

"Absolutely not!" Fiver said with heat in his voice. "I told you Sam, I come to help my friends out any way that I can. Even if it's just keeping them company with a job only they can do, it's still better than sitting here doing nothing."

Sam took in what he said, and smiled. "Alright," he said, "I **will** be glad to have some company. But I take lead. Don't go into any bushes at all unless I say they're safe, alright?" Fiver nodded and the pair began scoping out the foliage around the warren. Sam changed into his human form. The teen smiled in pleasant surprise as he realized his clothes repelled water. _Thank you, Prince Rainbow!_ He leave his rabbit senses intact, figuring the added sensory strength would help in the dark. Sam began shuffling his way through the brush, telling Fiver to stay in the open until he was sure it was safe. It did not take long before he felt the cool wire brush against his outstretched hand. He followed the wire to the peg in the ground and with Fiver's help, managed to dig it out. Sam set it out of the way and continued the search.

After a long time of searching, they managed to fine a total of eight snares around the warren. Sam brought them all to a path he figured the farmer used when he set them, and used one of his knives to cut the wires into unusable pieces. _Damn, these __**are**__ sharp! All that wire and not even a scratch on them._ "Alright," Sam said out loud, "that's all I could find. I don't know if I got them all, but even just these will take the pressure off them for a while. Well, come on buddy, let's get some sleep." Fiver murmured tiredly as they made their way back to the tree.

Sam and Fiver awoke when the sun was just cresting the horizon. They got up and stretched the stiffness out of their muscles before finding something to eat, Sam back in his rabbit form. After a while, the other rabbits from Watership Down came out of the burrow as well.

"Survive the night did you?" Bigwig asked humorously.

"Oh yes," Fiver answered flatly, "thank you **so** much for you concern. As a matter of fact, because of what Sam did, I think more rabbits will be surviving the nights around here for a while." He saw the looks on the others' faces and told them of what they spent a good part of the night doing. Every rabbit, even Hawkbit and Bigwig, were looking at Sam with such thankfulness that he began to blush under his fur.

"It really wasn't that big of a deal," Sam said, "just…trying to help is all. Well, we should probably be going, right?"

"Yes," Hazel replied, "we should leave before they can give us any difficulties."

The group began to leave.

"Be careful though," Sam warned them as they hopped. "I'm not a woodsman by any means, I don't know what signs for look for with snares, so there could still be plenty aro-" he was cut off by a chilling scream that echoed through the air. He turned and saw everyone present except for one: Bigwig. _No,_ Sam thought as he and the others began running toward the sound, _no no no, I will __**not**__ let this happen! _

It did not take them long before them came to where Bigwig lay gasping for breath. The noose was tight around his neck and it was obvious that in his panic, he only pulled it tighter. As the others sat stunned, Sam did not hesitate. In a flash, he was back in human form and slicing through the wire with his knife. After it was cut through, he quickly loosened the remaining wire from Bigwig's neck, leaving the large owsla warrior gasping for breath. The others gathered around Bigwig and nuzzled him, making sure he was alright.

Bigwig ignored them and got to his feet. "I'll kill them!" he yelled angrily. With that, he took off in the direction of Cowslip's warren, with the others close behind.

_Geez,_ Sam thought in awe, _nothing keeps him down does it?_ He turned back into a rabbit and was about to start walking back to the warren when he suddenly felt the air turn unnaturally cold. He looked behind him and merely saw a shadow on the ground dart away from him. He looked in the air, but there wasn't a bird to be seen, nor any clouds. It was then that he felt it: anger. So much anger. They were not his own emotions, they just seemed to come from all around. But as quickly as it came, they were gone, and everything was back to normal. _What in the world…_ Sam thought to himself, but the he heard the sounds of a scuffle and went back to the warren.

He got there just in time to see Bigwig take down Cowslip with little trouble, despite the white rabbit's size. He looked like he wanted to go further, but Hazel stopped him. "Come with us," Sam heard Hazel say to the gathered members of the warren. "There is no reason to stay here, under the grip of the shining wires. Come to Watership Down, where you can be free and live the kind of live El-ahrairah wanted for all of you." Some of the rabbits looked like they were considering his offer, but they went back to their masks of happiness upon hearing Cowslip's laughter.

"No you fools," he said, "the shining wires pose no threat to those who are careful. Only those like you, that feel the need to go nosing about for trouble instead of living quietly and with dignity need to fear them. They will never get me…" He backed up toward the warren with an insane look on his face.

"Riiiiiight," Sam said, getting the attention of his group, "we're just going to be leaving now. Come on everyone, and stay out of the heavy brush this time!" And the group left with Hazel leading the way through the lightest cover he could find.

They did not stop running until Bigwig began to slow down, apparently more worn out from the ordeal with the snare than he showed. As they took time to rest and gather their strength for the return journey to the down, they heard footsteps coming their way. Rabbit footsteps. Everyone waited on edge until they saw a large orange buck burst out from the bushes. It was Strawberry.

"You!" yelled Bigwig, still angry about the snare. "What do you want? Trying to follow us back to our warren? Well think again, you can just turn around and go back to your deceitful, tharn life!"

"Please," Strawberry pleaded, "please listen to me. I…I don't want to be a part of that any more. I hate it there, I hate living everyday in fear, pretending there aren't deaths all the time, not being able to mourn. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you anything, but I would have been attacked if I did. I don't care how hard it is living a real, natural life, I'm still willing to do it if it means I can be free from the hanging fear. Please let me come with you, please!"

Though still angry, Bigwig and the rest looked to Hazel for an answer. Hazel in turn looked at Sam. The teen returned his look with a small smile and shrugged. Hazel gave it some thought before approaching Strawberry and saying, "We cannot turn away someone like you. You are desperate for a new life, and we can help. We're still trying to get used to our new home as well, so the more help we have, the better. Welcome to the group Strawberry.

"Oh thank you, Hazel!" Strawberry said happily. "I promise I will be helpful to you. You won't regret this!" The other rabbits laughed at his enthusiasm as they continued on their way. Following in the back of the group, Sam let out a breath that he didn't realize he had been holding.

_Good job Hazel, _he thought.

The group got to know their newest addition on the walk back to the down. After talking for a while, Sam found he actually understood Strawberry better than the others. Without realizing it, Cowslip's warren had been trying to humanize themselves, instead of acting like proper rabbits, and it showed in Strawberry's behavior. He was as lost as Sam was on the way back, and neither of them were very observant, which almost got them noticed by a passing fox. The two of them talked as they approached the down.

"So Sunflower," Strawberry began, "how did you meet with the rest of them? They didn't mention anything about you on their escape from their old warren."

Sam thought about a good excuse before deciding that the truth would work just fine. "I was in my home one night, when I felt Prince Rainbow calling me. He said I was needed at a warren called Watership Down, so I left. I arrived about a day before they got there. Our first introductions were a bit…rough," this earned chuckles from Bigwig and Dandelion who were close enough to hear. "But it all worked out. Now they all tolerate me pretty well, isn't that right Bigwig?"

"Yeah, yeah," the large rabbit answered as he rolled his eyes. They walked in silence the rest of the way to the down. When they crested the hill, they saw Blackberry and Pipkin running to them with smiles on their faces.

"You're back!" Pipkin yelled excitedly. "We were worried about you. What happened there?"

"No Pimpernel?" Blackberry asked somberly. Everyone hung their heads at the question, with Strawberry having tears in his eyes at the guilt. "I see. Well, at least all of you made it back safely. Pipkin is right, when you didn't come back last night, were started to worry. But, oh, who's that behind you?" She gestured to Strawberry, who was hanging in the rear.

Sam decided to answer for him when he saw that Strawberry was still embarrassed about where he came from. "This is Strawberry. He decided to escape from the warren of the shining wires and live a better life here. He has already apologized for what he's done in the past, so there's no reason to hold it against him." Blackberry and Pipkin nodded while Strawberry shot Sam a very grateful look.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you," Hawkbit said, "but I'm bloody tired. **I **am going to get some sleep." This was met with a lot of agreeing murmurs and everyone began to head to the warren.

"Sunflower," Hazel said, "a word?" Sam hung back with Hazel. He waited until everyone else was gone, then he asked the question that had been bothering him all day. "Why didn't you tell me if Strawberry was safe? I took a risk bringing him along, and I still don't know if he's going to stay loyal. Why didn't you help me?"

Sam took a deep breath before he began. "Because you didn't need it. You made the right choice on your own, and that's what I was going for. Hazel, even though I know what's going to happen, **you** are still the leader of this warren, it was your decision to make. When Fiver and I were sitting out there last night, I had a lot of time to think. It's something I had been debating about since I told you about what I know. I've decided that I won't tell you everything that's going to happen. There are some things that need to happen naturally, and I don't know what my telling you would change. Have no worries, I will tell you if there's any danger coming, and I will do everything in my power to prevent it. But I highly doubt that me running this warren with my knowledge of the future is what Prince Rainbow had in mind when he said 'help them.' Please don't worry Hazel, I **will** be here to help you, but only when I think it will be beneficial."

"I understand," Hazel said. "Thank you then. But…I just hope you are able to judge **when** is the correct time to intervene." And he turned to the burrow to get some sleep himself.

_Have some faith in yourself, Hazel_, Sam thought. _You don't need me as much as you think you do._

"Oh and Sam, when exactly are you planning on telling Holly and Strawberry about your…unique position?"

"Right!" he exclaimed, "um…tomorrow? Not tonight, I'll let them get some good sleep first."

"Alright then," Hazel replied. "Good night."

"You too," Sam replied as he followed Hazel into the warren.


	8. Owsla Training

Chapter 7-Owsla Training

When Sam became aware that he was not sleeping anymore, he managed to keep from opening his eyes. "Let me guess, when I open my eyes, I will be in darkness. I will look around a bit, and Prince Rainbow will purposely appear behind me." He opened his eyes to see Prince Rainbow's face inches from his own. He yelled and jumped back with surprise, causing the deity to laugh.

"NOT SO CLEVER AFTER ALL, ARE YOU?" he said.

Sam glared at his as long as he could before he too burst into laughter. "Alright," he said, "that was a good one. So, what's up?"

This caused Prince Rainbow to look at Sam with something like pride in his eyes. I WANTED TO COMMEND YOU ON YOUR CHOICES THE PAST TWO DAYS. HELPING THE RABBITS OF COWSLIP'S WARREN, EXPLAINING YOUR MOTIVES TO HAZEL-RAH, VERY NICELY DONE. IN FACT, IT IS SOMETHING OF A RELIEF. I WAS WORRIED WOULD HAVE TROUBLE ADJUSTING TO LIVING IN THIS WORLD, BUT IT APPEARS YOU FIT RIGHT IN."

Sam smiled at the praise. "It was easier than I imagined. And Hazel and the others have been very welcoming. For the most part."

"YOU KNOW HOW BIGWIG CAN BE," Prince Rainbow replied, guessing who Sam was referring to. "HATES CHANGE. BUT HE'LL GET USED TO YOU EVENTUALLY." Suddenly, his head jerked to the sky. "SORRY TO CUT THIS MEETING SHORT, SAM, BUT IT APPEARS I AM BEING CALLED. GOODBYE."

"Good b-" Sam managed to say before the scene disappeared.

* * *

Sam woke to peaceful silence, no yelling about his human smell. _Ha!_ He thought to himself triumphantly, _blue power, you are the best._ As he left his personal burrow, he saw everyone else gathered in a group outside. As he approached, Hazel heard and greeted him. "Good morning, Sam. Good timing on waking up." Sam froze, had Hazel just called him Sam? In front of Holly and Strawberry? Hazel approached him and said in a whisper, "I tried to start telling them about you, but I didn't really know how to go about it. All they know right now is your real name."

"No problem," Sam whispered back, "I can take it from here." The two then went to join the group, Holly and Strawberry in the midst looking confused.

"So, um, hi guys," Sam started awkwardly. "I don't know what Hazel has told you, so I'll just start from the beginning."

"The beginning of what?" Holly asked in exasperation. "Embleer Frith, what is this about? As soon as we woke, this lot rushed us out here and tried to say something about you and something about your real name , but I couldn't make heads or tails of it!"

"I must say," Strawberry added, "this even strikes **me** as odd behavior."

"Calm down!" Sam said. "I'm getting there! Now, I…I'm not an ordinary rabbit. I was sent here as a messenger from Prince Rainbow to help the rabbits of Watership Down any way that I can."

"That is not unheard of," Holly jumped in. "So, why all this fuss?"

Sam sighed, "**Getting there.** As I was saying, Prince Rainbow gave me these special powers to make my job easier."

"Like what?" Strawberry interrupted.

_Are all rabbits this impatient?_ Sam asked himself in annoyance. "Fine, you want the quick answer? My real name is Sam. I made up the name Sunflower to go along with this body, because **this** is what I really look like." He finished by turning to his human form.

Their reactions were completely opposite. Holly looked like he was about to tear Sam's throat out, while Strawberry looked about to faint with fear. Hawkbit, Dandelion, and Bigwig barely had enough time to restrain Holly as he lunged at Sam, intent on killing the human in front of him. "Get off of me, blast you all! There's a bloody **ithè** right there! Do something!" He continued to struggle as Fiver and Blackberry tried get through to Strawberry, who had gone tharn.

"Strawberry calm down, please!" Blackberry yelled, trying to get past the large buck's fear. Unfortunately, he was too stuck in his terror to hear.

"Not again," he was muttering to himself, "not here, not again. The plague of humans follows wherever I go. Should have stayed with Cowslip, at least it's **easy **there!"

Sam and Hazel looked at each other in exasperation. "Oh this is going just **wonderfully**, Sam," Hazel said sarcastically, "I'm so very glad you decided to rush this instead of easing them in."

"Says the one who tried to tell them without talking to me first," Sam shot back. "Look, let's deal with Holly first. Poor Strawberry doesn't look like he has the will to move." Hazel looked at the quivering buck and nodded his agreement. The two strode over to where Holly was still being held down by the other three.

"What do you want, ithè!?" Holly yelled as they approached. "What have you done to these noble rabbits? Brainwashed them using some kind of trickery? Or has Prince Rainbow truly sent you here and turned against us?"

Sam almost laughed at the accusations before realizing it would only make matters worse. "Neither, actually. Prince Rainbow sent me here to help them, help **you**, find peace, and that's what I intend to do. I don't want to hurt any of you, and I **certainly **don't want to brainwash my friends."

"It's true, Holly," Hazel said. "Sam has been very helpful around here so far. And may I remind you just who brought you back here?"

"Yeah," Dandelion added, "he's a real nice chap once you get to know him. Has all kind of interesting stories about his world."

Even Hawkbit chimed in, "As much as I hate to admit it, he…is kind of useful to have around."

Even still, Holly remained unconvinced. "You're bloody fools, all of you! How could you trust this ithè? It was his kind that destroyed Sandleford! Likely as not he'll slit your throats in the night!" Bigwig eased off of Holly and positioned himself directly between him and Sam.

"I will personally vouch for this human's intent," he said, shocking everyone. "Since coming here, Sam has had a direct hand in saving Pipkin, you…and even me. I don't see him as a threat, even if he **is** bloody annoying." Sam grinned at that.

Holly considered before saying, "Fine. Thayli you have always had a good head on your shoulders and a strong sense of what is good. For the time being, I will tolerate him. But trust him? Oh, by Frith, no."

With Holly more or less taken care of, they turned their attention to Strawberry. The orange buck did not move when Sam got closer, except for a shiver that shook his large frame. Sam thought for a minute before walking a little way in front of him and sitting on the ground. "Strawberry," he said with sadness in his voice, "what wrong with you? Why are you so scared of me?"

Strawberry answered in a trembling voice, "I have spent my entire life in fear of the shining wires, things purposely left by humans to kill us. Then, when I finally get away from that life, **you** show up. It…it's hopeless, I should never have left. I knew what to expect at Cowslip's warren, it was relatively safe there. But you? You are a mystery." Throughout his speech, he had been slowly lowering his head in fear, almost as if expecting Sam to strike.

Sam hesitated before making a decision. He put a hand gently under Strawberry's chin, and though the buck tensed up even more, Sam gently forced him to look into his eyes. "Strawberry," he began softly, "I'm not like that, I promise. I'm the same as the rabbit you were talking to on the journey here from Cowslip's warren; I just look different. It's not like my thinking has changed about any of you. I'm just trying to help."

"B-but I-"he said shakily

"It's true," Blackberry said, "he's very kind, and he really has been a big help around here."

"And besides," Fiver continued, "he took some of the snares **away** last night. Even though you and everyone else in that warren were trying to trick us, Sam still helped you."

This made Strawberry look at Sam in amazement. "You…you really did that?" Sam nodded. "But why? After what we tried to do to you, why would you help us, er, them?"

"I guess the best answer is that I hated to see them like that. Everyone in that place was so filled with fear, it's like they didn't know reality anymore. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. Not all humans are the same, and certain don't agree with whatever asshole was doing that to them."

Strawberry considered that. "You…alright. I'll try and trust you, if only in repayment for your kindness to those that didn't deserve it."

Sam nodded with a smile. "I'll take it." He looked back to Hazel and said, "I suppose that turned out alright."

Hazel stared at the teen flatly. "In the future, maybe you could try and be a little more tactful, hm?"

"Also in the future, maybe you should let **me** take care of this kind of thing, don't you think?"

Hazel sighed. "I suppose so. Obviously my pushing the issue didn't help very much. Sorry."

Sam put a hand on Hazel's shoulder. "It's fine. It all turned out okay, after all."

"Right then," Blackberry interrupted, "if this is all settled, we have some more digging to do." This was met by groans from everyone. "What? We need more space. In case you lot didn't notice, we were short on burrows last night. With these new arrivals, I think we need to increase the size of our warren."

Hazel sighed, "Blackberry is right. Besides, I want to try something we saw in Cowslip's warren. Remember that large central chamber they had, held up by the tree roots? I'm willing to bet that our tree could do that too."

"That sounds brilliant!" Blackberry exclaimed. "Alright, come on everyone, we have a lot to do. Hazel and Strawberry come with me."

"Me? Dig?" Strawberry said. "But, I don't know how to dig. No one has had to dig my entire life in the warren of shining wires. I don't know how much help I'd be."

"Oh nonsense," Blackberry scoffed as the urged him along, "the rest of these bucks can barely dig either." This earned her a few covert glares. "And besides, you're the one who knows the most about how to make this large chamber. You absolutely **must** be with the diggers."

"Eh, sorry to burst your bubble, Blackberry," Bigwig said, "but my owsla still has a lot of training to do before they would be ready to handle any type of threat."

Blackberry snorted. "Hardly a surprise. Fine then, go do your **training**." She added in a whisper, "you're too large to be of help anyway." As the digging team went back to the warren to get started, Bigwig's voice rang through the air.

"And where do you think **you're** going?" Sam turned around and saw Bigwig looking right at him. "I said the owsla is training, so come along."

Sam was stunned, "The owsla? Bu- but what happened to not training hu-"

"I said move!"

"Okay, okay," Sam said as he ran over and ended up next to Dandelion. Bigwig led them over to an area he had designated the owsla training grounds. As Sam looked around, all he saw was one decent sized boulder, one hollow log, and a few bushes. _And…we're going to get trained with…this?_ Bigwig approached him as he was looking around.

"Alright, being as you're a new recruit, I'll give you a demonstration of the obstacle course. You begin here. Jump over the boulder." He said this as he effortlessly leapt over the tall rock. "Run through the log." Sam didn't think Bigwig could make it through such a small hole, but he was in one end and out the other in a matter of seconds. "Followed by ducking in and out of the bushes." Sam watched as he zigzagged through the line of bushes, impressed at how little noise he made. "While running through the bushes," Bigwig said as he returned to the group, "you are to try and make it through quickly, but silently. I will be observing how you do while you all run the course, now go!"

They got in line with Sam being in the back, to "watch how the old pros do it" as Hawkbit said. Bigwig yelled for them to start. The first obstacle was the boulder. Dandelion cleared it easily with his long legs, while Hawkbit landed on the top and sprang from there. Pipkin tried to copy Hawkbit, but didn't quite make it to the top. As Sam watched the smaller rabbit about to tip backwards, he gave Pipkin a nudge to the top before jumping up himself.

"Thanks Sam," Pipkin said.

"No problem," he replied, "but we have to keep going." The two ran side by side to the entrance of the log where they saw Dandelion and Hawkbit talking, arguing about who would go first! "Oh, you have to be kidding me," Sam muttered, "alright Pipkin, grab Dandelion." As they reached the other two, Sam didn't waste any time when shoving Hawkbit into the log and following right after, followed by Dandelion and Pipkin. As Sam was crawling, he realized what purpose the log served.

_This position would be really good for sneaking, I bet. Oh! It's actually kind of hard._ They got through to the other end and made for the bushes. Everyone made it through, albeit a bit noisily, and they were all back to the start soon. Bigwig jumped off the log where he had been watching and came over to give his review.

"Nicely done, lads. With a few exceptions." He looked at Dandelion and Hawkbit. "This was your best run yet."

"Good thing Sam was here to help," Pipkin said happily.

"Yeah," Hawkbit said sarcastically, "I just **love** being shoved around." Sam was about to apologize when Bigwig broke in.

"Maybe if you would run the course instead of lazing about, it wouldn't have been necessary. Alright, I'm going to take Sam and show him some of the finer points of fighting like a rabbit."

_Oh great,_ Sam thought.

"You lot run the course a few more times, and then report to Blackberry to help with the digging." Seeing that they were about to complain, Bigwig added, "Move! Now!" And off they went. He then turned to Sam. "Alright, come along."

They went to the bottom of the hill where they could have some peace. Bigwig began talking on the way down. "You did good out there. Good enough to prove me wrong at least. I am a little curious though as to why you helped the rest through. Had you just gone, you would have finished much sooner."

"They're my friends first of all," Sam said. "And, I don't know, it just seemed like the better choice. I know that in human armies, er, owslas, teamwork like that is encouraged. Friends have told me about having to run courses like that. Their captains say that either they all finish together, or it's just as good as if none of them had finished at all. The way I see it, an owsla is supposed to be a team effort, not just a bunch of individuals running in the same general direction."

"Bloody right!" Bigwig said suddenly, surprising Sam so much he almost tripped. "That is **exactly** what I like to hear. By Frith, you are going to be quite the asset to this place."

"Thanks Bigwig, it means a lot to hear you say that."

"Yeah, try not to get too sappy, eh? In case it slipped your mind, we're coming here so I can teach you to fight. It's not going to be very fun. Now," he said as he turned and looked at Sam, "let the lessons begin.

Thus began a rigorous training session where Bigwig taught Sam much about fighting. He explained how to deal with size differences.

"If faced with a larger opponent, you need to find a weak point," Bigwig instructed, "Watch for them to favor one side or the other, then decide if it's better to attack on their weaker side, or undermine them completely by taking out their dominant side. With smaller enemies, use size to your advantage. Close with them right away, so they can't run or dodge."

He learned how to grapple.

"If you can't push them down, break the hold and tackle their gut as hard as you can before they drop. This knocks the wind out of them. If you do manage to push them over, go for the kill, then and there."

They even went over how to handle multiple opponents at once.

"It's not easy. Use some of the take downs I've been showing you to try and take some of them out, if just for a while. Your goal is to fight a series of short one on one fights, which you either have to win quickly, or incapacitate your opponent while you deal with the next one. I don't know how you humans do things, but rabbits are a bit limited. It takes a true warrior to beat two opponents at once."

It was midday when they came back up the hill, Sam feeling considerably sorer than he had earlier. They came to find the rest of the rabbits outside resting. Pipkin ran over when he saw them return. "Hi Sam, hi Bigwig. So, how did the training go?"

Sam didn't know how to answer, so Bigwig spoke. "It…oh blast. It was smashing, alright?" He continued in a quieter voice, "he's probably the quickest rabbit I've ever taught. Picked everything up in one go. It's like he was born to be in an owsla. He'll be a great help around here, that's for sure." Ignoring Pipkin's laughter at his embarrassment, he turned to Sam. "Now then, eat and get some rest. I'm not done with you yet today."

Sam was astonished, "Wait, we're doing **more**?! Jeez Bigwig, maybe you can keep this up all day, but some of us get tired."

"And that's what **rest** is for," the captain said as if he were speaking to a particularly slow kitten. "It's not that big of a deal, I'm just going to show you the ropes of patrolling an area, since I assume you've never done anything like that?" Sam shook his head. "Right then. Rest up and we'll go."

Sam and Pipkin went to eat with Fiver, Blackberry, and Strawberry, all of whom were looking rather dirty. Sam chuckled as he approached, "Having fun down there guys? You're looking a wee bit dusty."

"We're having about as much fun as you," Blackberry replied. "So how was getting beaten down by Bigwig? For as long as you were down there, I'm a bit surprised you can still move."

"It wasn't that bad really," Sam said. "He's a good teacher, and I learned a lot."

"You know," Fiver said, "I'm kind of surprised he's teaching you at all. He was so against it the other day. I wonder what changed his mind."

"I'll ask him when we're on patrol," Sam responded, even though he was fairly certain why Bigwig chose to include him.

"Speaking of that," Strawberry said, "which direction did you say you were going for that patrol?"

"He said something about checking out a meadow that was close by," Sam said with his mouth half full of grass. "Why do you ask?"

Strawberry looked alarmed at their destination. "You shouldn't go that way! I've heard rumors of a fierce warren in that direction by the name of-" But Sam interrupted.

"Efrafa, I imagine." Strawberry had a stunned look on his face, before Sam remembered something. "Wait a minute, we never told you where I came from, did we?" Strawberry shook his head no, so Sam told him the story of how Prince Rainbow brought him from a different world. He also explained how why he knew the future.

"Goodness," Strawberry said, amazed. "That is quite the tale. Well, since you're aware of what's going to happen, I suppose I don't have much else to tell you. Just be careful, alright?"

Sam smiled, "I will Strawberry, thanks. Oh, I think Bigwig is about ready to go. I'll see you later everyone." And Sam went to where Bigwig was waiting.

"Right," he said Sam got closer, "let's go."

As they set off down the hill again, Sam told Bigwig the news. "Hey Bigwig, you should probably know that in the direction we're going, there's supposed to be this warren called Efrafa. From the stories, I know that they're pretty bad news. They hate outsiders from their warren, and will try to wipe us out if they get the chance."

Bigwig listened silently before answering, "Well, all the more reason for us to be patrolling then. If such a warren is around, it would be better for us to know about them before they know about us."

They continued on their way, coming out of the woods into a sprawling meadow. Sam was amazed at the beauty; he had never seen something like this in person. There were flowers of all colors dotting the tall grass, giving the field a pleasant smell. Whenever the wind blew, the grass rolled in waves.

Bigwig noticed Sam had stopped and yelled back, "Oi, you coming?"

Sam snapped out of his reverie. "Oh! Um yeah, sorry. I'm just not used to seeing stuff like this, is all."

They continued through the meadow while Bigwig gave tips on patrolling. It turned out to be pretty easy, just walk around an area and watch for any abnormalities. And stick to cover in unfamiliar territory. Sam listened attentively until Bigwig suddenly went quiet. Sam looked in the direction he was looking, and saw it: a group of rabbits sitting in a semi-circle a good distance away. The two ducked down and watched until they set off in the other direction.

"And I suppose that would be your Efrafa?" Bigwig asked.

"I believe so," Sam replied. "That would be one of their wide patrols, meant specifically to catch outsiders."

Bigwig grunted in acknowledgement. "Well then," he said, "let's go." And he went in the direction the Efrafans had.

This surprised Sam. "Wait, go? Why? We already know who they are, why put ourselves in unnecessary danger following them? Bigwig?" But the large buck made no indication that he was listening as he quietly followed their trail. It wasn't long before Sam and Bigwig found themselves crouching in some bushes and listening in on their conversation.

"Don't worry," said one tall and muscular rabbit, "we'll find the outsiders in this area, and track them back to their warren."

The other one, who appeared to be older and having a little tuft of fur on his chin like a beard added, "And then we'll destroy them." Even though they knew it was coming, it was still a shock to hear it come from the rabbit's mouth. They began to sneak back the way they came, when Sam disturbed a bird that was nesting in the bush they were hiding in. The bird flew into the air, drawing the eyes of the Efrafan patrol to where they were hiding.

Bigwig sighed in frustration, "Oh nicely done. Here they come! Split up, lose your pursuers, then meet back at the down." And Bigwig was off in one direction, with most of the patrol following him.

Sam was left standing there confused. "What do you mean 'lose your pursuers?' We didn't have that lesson!"

"Oh good, makes my job easier." Sam whipped around to see the large brown rabbit from before looking at him. "I suggest you don't run. Just make it easier on yourself and maybe I'll put in a good word with the general for you. You look like owsla material."

Sam was surprised to hear that. "Um, thank you, no."

"Hm," the other rabbit said, "what a shame." Just as he was about to attack, Sam made a discovery.

"Wait," he said, "I recognize you! You're Captain Campion, right?" This made the other rabbit, who was indeed the same Campion from the stories, hesitate in his attack.

"How…how do you know me?" Campion asked with confusion.

Sam chuckled lightly before answering. "As weird as this sounds, it was your eyes." Campion gave him a look of upmost confusion, so he continued. "Past all the hardness of your life, I know you are truly a kind rabbit, and it shows in your eyes. What **also** shows, is how much you dislike what you're doing."

Hearing that made Campion interrupt. "Absolutely not. I do whatever is necessary to keep Efrafa safe." He lowered his gaze to stare at the ground, "I…I would do anything for Efrafa."

"I know you would," Sam said with understanding. "And that's why I'm going to leave you with this last thought: when you do things like this, things that don't feel right, ask yourself if they are best serving Efrafa, or General Woundwort." Sam knew he said the right thing, because he saw Campion drop all hostility from his posture and just stand there looking shocked. He took the opportunity to turn and run as fast as he could the other way, leaving Campion still standing there.

As soon as he was positive Campion had not followed him, Sam ran back to the warren as fast as he could, hoping he would find Bigwig there already.

He crested the hill to find the others gathered in a circle. As he got closer, he saw it was Bigwig, who had indeed beaten him back. Bigwig saw him approach and barreled through Strawberry and Dandelion to get to him.

"Sam!" he said with relief. "You made it back! Ha, and to think you were worried. You lost those rabbits with no problem. I was just telling the other here about the dangers of this warren. I'm thinking about taking another party out to see if we can't find them first, get the element of surprise."

Sam shook his head. "There's a much easier way to do this. Hey Kehaar, Hannah, can you two come over here?"

"You want something from Kehaar?" the gull asked as he approached.

"Yeah," Hannah added, "what do you need?"

"Alright," Sam said, "we need to find this warren called Efrafa. The stories mention a broken bridge that marks the edge of patrolled Efrafan territory. I would like for the two of you to fly out that way," he gestured in the direction of the field they had just come back from, "and see if you can't find a bridge fitting that description. There's probably going to be a couple rabbits on one side keeping watch. When you see them, fly in the direction they're looking until you find a dead tree near a pit in the ground, and that's the warren."

Hannah nodded her head, "Doesn't sound like a thing we could miss very easily. We'll be back in a flash, let's go Kehaar!" She climbed on the gull's back and he took off with a cry into the air.

Sam followed their flight for a while before turning back to the assembled rabbits. "There. Now we just wait for them to be back and we'll have our warren found."

Bigwig looked skeptical. "We're trusting gulls and mice to do our owsla searching now? Are you even sure they're going in the right direction?"

This made Sam chuckle. "Well, they're in the air, so I'm betting they won't have much trouble finding a bridge. They're sure going to have an easier time of it than we would. And it will be safer for them too."

Bigwig persisted, "But gulls and mice?"

"Because they're **so** much worse than having a human in your owlsa," Sam said with a sly grin.

That caught Bigwig by surprise, "B-but they…you…arg! Must you be right all the time?"

Sam and the other rabbits started laughing. "I'm pretty sure that's in the job description, Bigwig. But don't worry, they're probably going to be back soon with all the knowledge you want. Until then, I'm looking awfully forward to a break. It's been a pretty long day." Indeed, it was already evening and sundown was not far behind.

Everyone was eating with Sam and Bigwig who were telling their stories about how they got away, though Sam's was much less interesting: "One rabbit came after me, but I talked with him until he let his guard down, and then ran." They were more interested in Bigwig's story, where he was diving through bushes and leaping over logs and rocks, eventually losing them by crossing a large river. Bigwig was just finishing his story when they heard wing beats and Kehaar's tell-tale yell.

He wasted no time as he landed. "We find bridge with two bunnies!"

Hannah continued, "And we found the warren too. Bunch of really sad looking rabbits there; what's up with that?"

"That's a good job you two," Hazel said. "I think we should pay this warren a visit, maybe see if we can't work out some kind of peace agreement." Many of the rabbits nodded their head, except for Sam. "Alright," Hazel continued, "get some rest. We're going to be taking a little trip tomorrow." Everyone went to the warren to sleep off their long day of digging and owsla training. Everyone except Hazel and Sam. Hazel sighed. "So, good idea?" He was referring to going to Efrafa.

Sam had to think about his answer. Coming to a decision, he said, "I…I think so. Needless to say, there will be some rough going, but something you find in there is worth the risk." Then Sam chuckled, "And who knows, maybe Woundwort will be having a particularly good day."

This caused Hazel to laugh too. "Ha, maybe. Well, nothing to lose by trying, right? Alright, we'll go tomorrow, Fiver, Bigwig, and the two of us. A smaller group stands a better chance of making it through unnoticed."

"Sounds like a plan," Sam replied. "But right now, I want to go to sleep **really** badly. I figured Bigwig would rub it in if I said anything earlier, but this has probably been one of the most physically tiring days of my life. I'm totally exhausted." Hazel noticed that he was right; Sam's legs were shaking slightly as if they were about to collapse.

Hazel nodded. "I agree. Let's get some rest. We need you Sam. Be sure you take care of yourself." Sam murmured in agreement as the two went into the warren.


	9. General Woundwort

Chapter 8-General Woundwort

Early the next morning, Sam was sleeping peacefully in his burrow when he felt a nudge at his side. "Sam, wake up," a familiar voice said, though Sam was still too tired to match a voice with a name. A little more nudging and Sam finally opened his eyes to see Fiver standing over him. "Come on Sam," he said impatiently, "we have to get going. We're going to see if we can't get to Efrafa before their guards are out in full force." Sam nodded and rose slowly, following Fiver outside where Hazel and Bigwig were waiting.

"There you are, Sam," Hazel said, "now all we need is for Kehaar to come back and we-" Kehaar's signature yell cut him off. The four looked and saw an irritated gull flying back to the down.

"That Efrafa place no good for anybody!" he exclaimed as he set down. "You listen well to Kehaar, there evil in that place."

Hazel hopped alongside Kehaar. "Calm down," he said, "what happened?"

Kehaar snorted in annoyance. "It all start with runaway bunny. I try and help him, but he too scared of Kehaar, and he get himself caught. I follow back to Efrafa warren and see they all gathered in a group with runaway in the middle. Then, this huge black rabbit come out and say to kill the runaway. Kehaar no liked that. I fly into group and scatter all the other bunnies, but not the big one. He even try and attack Kehaar back! After that, I fly back to Watership Down. It bad place, Hazel, very bad."

Hazel smiled when he heard the story. "Good, it sounds like there is some dissention there. We can use that."

"Use it for what?" Bigwig asked.

"Well, I was thinking that we really need more rabbits here on the down. With the number that we have now, we won't last in the future. And honestly, one doe isn't enough to support a warren."

"And you want to go scouting in **Efrafa** for new recruits?"

"Well Bigwig," Hazel said, " if you lived in a place like that, wouldn't you want to leave?"

The group shared a sly grin when he said that.

"Ha," Bigwig said, "I suppose I would at that. Nice thinking, Hazel."

Sam decided now was a good time to get the group's focus back on track. "Right, well, we do still need to **go** there, and I believe Fiver said something about beating patrols?"

"Sam's right," Bigwig said. "Let's get going."

The group followed Kehaar back towards the field that Sam and Bigwig had scouted the day before. This time however, Kehaar led them in such a way that they were able to stick to cover instead of running in the open. They followed Kehaar through miles of forest, stopping to rest and eat whenever they were tired.

Sam spoke up during one of their rests, "Sorry you guys, I had no idea that Efrafa was so far away."

"There's nothing to worry about Sam," Fiver said. "To be honest, this is a bit of a relief. The further away they are, the harder time they'll have finding us."

"Kehaar," Hazel called out, "how close are we to Efrafa?"

"Not so far now Hazel," the gull replied, "we little more den half way dere!"

The rest of the group groaned as they continued on their way. The sun was steadily lowering behind the horizon as the group ran along. They traveled in silence for a while longer until the sun went down and a full moon began to rise. Sam was so busy staring at the beauty of the woods in the moonlight that he didn't see the others stop and almost ran into Bigwig.

"Woah!" he said, narrowly avoiding the large buck. "What's the hold up?" He followed the rabbits' wordless gazes to a familiar sight. "Railroad tracks? Out here? Well **that's **kind of random. Oh well, what are you waiting for, let's go." He hopped into the middle of the tracks and stared back at the rabbits behind him. They looked on in astonishment.

"**What** did you say this thing was?" Bigwig asked. "Looks like a trail for some sort of giant beast."

Sam laughed, "They're called railroad tracks, and that isn't too bad of a description. Basically, this really big hrududu travels on this path. In fact…"he paused, listening in the distance, "there's one on its way now. Let's cross before it gets here, who knows how long it might be."

Sam turned and hopped to the other side, followed closely by Bigwig. He turned and saw Hazel and Fiver begin to cross together when the headlight of the train rounded the tree line. Time seemed to slow as the train got closer to them. Sam thought he saw Hazel make some kind of movement, but the train passed in front of him before he could be sure.

Sam and Bigwig waited on their side anxiously. "Do…do you think they're alright?" Bigwig asked in a worried tone. Sam was too scared to answer. He tried to look under the train to see if he might be able to see anything, but it was moving too fast and the blur of the wheels blocked out everything behind.

"They were alright in the show, they were alright in the show," kept running through Sam's head. After what seemed like hours, the train finally passed. Bigwig and Sam hurried to the other side of the tracks and found Hazel and Fiver unhurt, but trembling at the near miss.

"Hazel! Fiver!" Sam said in relief. "Are you two alright?"

It took a few moments for them to calm down, but eventually Fiver replied, "Yes, we're alright I think. Thank you, Hazel, that thing would have gotten me if not for you." He gave his brother a loving nuzzle before they were up and ready to continue.

Hazel, still rather shakily, said, "Well, let's continue on our way."

Bigwig , however, had other thoughts. "Actually, we should probably find a safe place to bed down for the night. I don't fancy running about in the dark where all the elil are."

The rest of the group agreed. They told Kehaar of their plans for stopping for the night, and it did not take long to find a burrow in the ground to spend the night in. They decided to take turns standing guard to make sure no elil crept upon them while they were sleeping. It proved to be meaningless however, as the night was completely uneventful. The group woke up the next morning and kept following Kehaar.

The gull led them out of the woods and into a farm field filled with healthy looking stalks of wheat. _Ya know_, Sam thought to himself, _I never realized how good this stuff smells._ Sam was so focused on the smell that he again did not notice the others stop, and this time he rammed into them.

"Sorry," Sam said. "Why did you stop **now**?"

"It's a man!" Hazel yelled. "Everyone scatter!"

The others bolted while Sam quickly looked where they had been moments before. As soon as he saw the straw-filled clothing hung on the post, he literally fell to the ground laughing.

Kehaar landed on one of the scarecrow's arms and looked at the scene in front of him: three of the rabbits were hiding from nothing, and the last one was laughing uncontrollably. "What is going on here?" he asked in confusion. "Why you laughing? And why you hiding Hazel, Bigwig, and Fiver?"

Sam was laughing too hard to notice Bigwig walk up to him. "Yes indeed Sam, just **what** is so funny?"

Sam didn't notice the annoyance in Bigwig's voice before he answered. "You guys got scared by **that**?! It's just a scarecrow! How is it you have never seen one of those before? It's just really funny seeing you get so scared by something so harmle-OW! What was that for?!" Bigwig cuffed him in the middle of his rant.

Bigwig replied in an innocent tone, "What was what for? I didn't do anything, did I Hazel? Fiver?"

Fiver laughed before answering, "I didn't see anything Bigwig. Sam must just be imagining things."

"**Anyway**," Hazel said, trying to get the group back on track, "what is this thing, Sam?"

Sam shot a dirty look at a smiling Bigwig before he told them. "It's a scarecrow. Humans put them in fields to try and keep crows from eating crops. But apparently it's good for scaring other animals away too."

Before the rabbits could start arguing again, Kehaar decided to get them going. "Stop the arguing! We getting close now. Let's go!" He took off and forced the rabbits to follow him.

They weren't traveling for long before Kehaar warned them that they were in Efrafan territory and that they would have to be careful for guards.

But as it turned out, that was not the case.

They did see guards in the woods, but they were focusing their attention towards the warren. They were so spread out that there were numerous holes in their security that the four rabbits could have taken to get to the warren.

Hazel thought about this as they snuck by. "It's kind of surprising," he said as they found a relatively safe place to rest, " that their security here is so…loose. From what Sam has said about this place, you would think there would be guards everywhere."

"It doesn't surprise me," Sam said glumly. "Think about it, the way this warren is run, they would have to be more worried about escape attempts from **within** the warren than anyone **sneaking** in. They don't need many sentries out here because anyone that tried to escape would probably make a lot of noise. I'm betting these are their fastest runners out here, to head off any rabbit that tries to escape."

The group advanced a little ways until they came to a clearing where they could see rabbits on silflay. Fiver shuddered upon seeing the gaunt frames of the rabbits. "I don't like this place, it's unnatural. This isn't how rabbits are supposed to live."

The group looked around and saw guards around the perimeter of trees, and more standing on the roots of a huge fallen tree that housed the warren proper.

Bigwig shook his head. "Hazel, are you still thinking about going in there? This…General Woundwort fellow definitely doesn't seem like he would be very interested in talking. And what happens if he decides to keep you there? Do you realize just how difficult it would be to escape from this place?"

"You're right Bigwig," Hazel said. "It would just be too hard, and I can't risk the safety of our warren like that. We should go." They were about to turn and leave when Kehaar, who had landed silently beside them, noticed something.

"Hay," he said, looking at two rabbits that were edging away from the others, "is bunny that try escape, Blackavar."

Sam nodded his head, "That's the one you tried to help?"

"Ya ya," Kehaar responded. "Oh, and other bunny try and help him in trial, Primrose."

At the mention of the name "Primrose," Hazel turned back to look, and his eyes shot right to her. Sam saw a vacant expression slide over his face as he stared at her. It was all Sam could do not to laugh at his friend, Hazel was totally smitten.

The pair crept closer and closer to where they were hiding, doing their best to avoid the notice of the guards. They were soon about five feet away, when Hazel stuck his head out before anyone noticed.

"Hello," he said, surprising Primrose and Blackavar, "my name is Hazel. We…we're here to get you out. Somehow." Primrose looked as if she was about to answer when two rabbits began making their way over. Fiver drug Hazel back into cover and the group sat quietly while the rabbits, one who Sam identified as Captain Campion, approached Blackavar and Primrose.

"You two! What are you doing there!?" This was yelled by the rabbit accompanying Campion. He was a very thin, weak looking rabbit that had sly and conniving look about him. "You **know** this is further than you're supposed to go, especially you, Primrose. Now get back to the warren before I **make** you!" He raised his paw as if he was about to strike (which made Hazel utter a low growl, surprising the rest of the group), when he was interrupted.

"That's enough, Vervain," Campion interrupted, "they get it." He turned to look at Primrose and Blackavar. "Alright you two, back to the warren, get going." They looked at each other and seemed to consider disobeying the command, but then Primrose began hopping back to the warren with Blackavar close behind.

Vervain waited until they were out of earshot before rounding on Campion. "Do you **enjoy** undermining my authority in front of the commoners, Campion? Why must you always do that?"

Campion gave Vervain a cold glare before answering. "Maybe if you didn't abuse your power so much, I wouldn't have to. Now quit your whining and come on. We still have a patrol to run." And the two of them hopped away as well.

The group breathed a collective sigh of relief. Sam looked over to Hazel and saw the chief's face stony in deep thought. Sam shook his head and asked, even though he already knew the answer, "We aren't leaving anymore, are we, Hazel?"

"No," Hazel said with little emotion in his voice, "we are not."

"And…you're going in there, aren't you?"

Hazel nodded, "That I am. I have to get her, them, out."

It was then that Fiver began shuddering and gave a low moan.

"The only way out is to go straight through.

If two go in, then out come two."

Sam, who had never seen one of Fiver's visions at work, was concerned. "Are you alright Fiver? Hazel, what's wrong with him?"

"I'm fine Sam," the small buck said. "It was just a vision. I get them every now and then, didn't you know that?"

"Well, yea," Sam replied, "but it's still a little creepy to watch. What does it feel like?"

"Well," Fiver began, "it kind of feels like…" He drifted off at seeing the annoyed look on Hazel's face. "Um, I'll tell you later Sam. For now, it seems like two of us are going to have to go down there if we want to get them out. How about…I go with Hazel, while the three of you keep a watch for trouble?"

Sam nodded his head. "That sounds like a good plan. We'll make our way over to where Kehaar was watching before. Hopefully, that's where they'll bring you when you show yourselves. That will put us in a good position to help if anything goes badly."

Hazel turned and looked Sam in the eyes. "Thank you. And Sam, if anything goes…badly-"

"It won't," Sam insisted. "Everything will be just fine. Just watch each other's backs and be careful, and everything will go just fine."

Hazel looked like he wanted to say more, but he just nodded and turned to Fiver. "Ready to go?"

"As I'll ever be," he responded. And the two walked out of cover into the open.

Bigwig, Sam and Kehaar watched them run into the open and immediately be confronted by two bulky guards. They talked for a bit, though Sam couldn't hear what they were saying, and then they were led off towards the warren.

"Right then," Bigwig said, getting Sam and Kehaar's attention, "they have their part to do, and we have ours. Kehaar, lead us to where you were watching Blackavar's trial from before."

"Ya, come this way." And he took off as silently as he could to avoid attention. They decided it would be best to make their way back out of Efrafan territory, travel a longer way around so that they were even with the lookout point, then sneak back in. It would take longer, but it would drastically decrease their chances of being found.

"You know," Bigwig said when they were away from Efrafa, "I really don't understand why Hazel changed his mind. Everything we said before still holds true, getting out of there would be a challenge even for El-ahrairah."

Sam looked at him in amazement. "You don't know why he did it? Did you not see him practically **drooling** when he looked at Primrose?" Sam chuckled then, "It was love at first sight."

"Really?" Bigwig asked in genuine surprise, "I didn't realize." He smiled, "I suppose I can't blame him though, she really was an attractive doe, eh Sam?"

Sam was a little taken aback by his question. "Um, what are you talking about Bigwig?"

"Oh come now," he said, "I've seen a lot of does in my day, and she definitely ranks among the prettiest."

"Yeah…" Sam said uncomfortably, "I **am** still a human you know. I…kind of have trouble finding rabbits…attractive."

"Oh," Bigwig said awkwardly, "right."

They did not talk anymore until they reached the lookout point.

* * *

Hazel and Fiver left the safety of the brush and made their way to the nearest guards, intent on making their way straight to Woundwort. The guards saw them and came over immediately. One started yelling at them, "What are you two doing? I don't think I've even seen you around here before."

Hazel took a step forward. "No, you haven't. We're here to speak to your leader, take us to him."

The guards looked at each other in amusement. "Come on then," the other one said, "the general will certainly want to see you." The guards led them from the grassy area that the other rabbits were silflaying in, and down a well used path. The path led to a rough area that was mostly dry dirt with a few weeds poking up here and there. There were rabbits all along the rim of the depression, ready to attack anyone they saw as getting out of line. They were led to the same tree they saw earlier, which looked even bigger up close. The pair didn't have much time to stare however, as they were pushed into one of many openings in the ground under the tree. They followed the guards to a large boulder, which one moved away with little effort. "You will wait in here with the others that need the General's attention." Hazel and Fiver entered the burrow to find Primrose and Blackavar staring at them in surprise.

Primrose waited until the boulder again covered the entrance before she began speaking. "Oh no, they captured you too?"

Hazel shook his head, "Actually, we chose to come here. We **were** going to try and talk with this General Woundwort in hopes of him allowing some rabbits from here to come live at our warren. But the more I see of this place, the more futile I think talking to him is going to be."

"Talking to that tyrant is useless," Blackavar said, pulling Hazel's attention away from Primrose. "We two, along with a few of our friends, tried to ask him not long ago if we could be allowed to leave. We wanted to start a new warren and said we were willing to go as far away from Efrafa as they wanted, if only we could leave. He said no, and split everyone into separate marks except for Primrose and me."

Primrose continued, "He doesn't care about us, all he wants is more power. Do you have a way to get us out of here Hazel?"

It was Fiver who answered. "We…don't actually have anything yet. But believe me, we will come up with something. Hazel is has a touch of El-ahrairah in situations like these."

"And just wait until we get you out of here!" Hazel said suddenly. "Watership Down is the most amazing place in the world! There's no elil there, no danger. The hill is so high you can see forever, and the air is so pure and clean."

Hazel was so focused on his home, that he didn't notice Primrose and Blackavar's faces falling with every word he said. "Please stop," said Primrose. "Please, don't say anymore about your warren."

Hazel stopped and looked at her in confusion. "Why?"

"Because," Blackavar said, "when you've spent most of your life in this place, with very little chance to escape, you tend to avoid images like that. It's needless pain, because you can't get out of this place."

Hazel responded, "But we **will** get you out of here. I promise."

Primrose looked like she was about to say something, when the boulder blocking the entrance moved aside. "Come on you lot," a different guard than before said, "the General is ready to hear you now." They were lead up a tunnel towards an entrance that had light streaming through it.

* * *

Sam, Bigwig, and Kehaar had been waiting for a while watching the rabbits of Efrafa go about their day, depressing as it was, when suddenly the guards began moving. They were going between all the groups of rabbits out on silflay and seemed to be gathering them for something. As the rabbits cleared out, the group was able to sneak closer until they were hiding on a ledge just above the gathering place.

"I wonder what has them all worked up," Bigwig said. "Do you think Hazel and Fiver are alright?"

Sam replied, "They should be. There would have been some outside indication if there was a fight in the warren. In fact, they should be coming out there pretty- Oh! There they are!"

They looked on as Hazel and Fiver were led to the gathering area by a group of burly guards. They were positioned in the middle of the crowd of rabbits. All of the Efrafans were giving them a wide berth, like they were scared of the two Watership Down rabbits. They were not kept waiting long, when a huge looking black rabbit seemed to crawl out of the shadows and settle on a pedestal above the rest of the rabbits. One of his eyes was milky white. _Blind I think_, Sam thought. The other eye was a deep, blood red. The assembled rabbits were deathly silent when he approached.

Then he spoke, in a gravelly voice full of anger. "I am General Woundwort. Why have you come to this warren? Are you here to surrender yourselves to my glorious rule?"

Hazel stepped in front of a quivering Fiver. "My name is Hazel, and no, we will **not** give in to you. We are here to take any rabbit that is unhappy here with us."

As he heard this, Woundwort began a deep, spine-tingling laugh. "You think I would allow you to take any of my subjects away from me? You are as presumptuous as you are foolish. I will **not** surrender any of my power to the likes of you"

Even though they could not see his face, Sam and Bigwig could imagine the shock on Hazel's face. Most likely it matched the looks on their own. Hazel managed to push past his amazement and tried again to convince him. "But…how can you say that? You have no right to keep them against their will!"

"Their **will**?! Hah! They **have** no will. My will is their will! They have no idea about what is best, and without me, they never will. Guards! I am done with these fools, kill them!"

Sam and Bigwig were about to jump in and do what they could to help as the guards closed in, but they stopped when they heard Fiver begin to moan. The moaning carried unearthly far, and he was on the ground thrashing about. Just the sight of Fiver caused many of the rabbits to run to the burrows in fright, and even some of the guards. The only ones left in the meeting grounds were Woundwort himself, Hazel and Fiver, Primrose and Blackavar, and a handful of exceptionally brave guards. Fiver finally fell silent as he began to speak.

"Listen well evil one

The sun knows your face

The messenger will see you done,

In Darkhaven, your resting place"

"What?!" Woundwort screamed as he jumped down from where he stood. "Darkhaven. You said Darkhaven!" He tackled Fiver to the ground. "What do you know of that place?! Tell me!"

Hazel broke free from the guards that were restraining him and shoved the General off of his brother, then helped him to his feet.

"Destroy them!" Woundwort yelled. "Quickly!"

Hazel thought fast before he came up with an idea that might get them out of Efrafa. "If you do that General," he said, "my owsla will come down upon you and destroy you all!" He then turned around and looked towards where Sam and Bigwig were hiding. "Everyone! Prove your presence!"

Beside Sam, Bigwig started chuckling. "You're a bloody genius, Hazel. Sam, run around the perimeter of this pit. Make as big of a disturbance as you can, we need to try and convince them there are more up here than just us."

Sam nodded and the two took off in opposite directions, bumping into as many trees as they could. When Sam reached the end of his side, he turned to see if Woundwort believed their trick. _He should_, Sam thought, _he believed it in the show. But there's something…off…about him_.

Back in the meeting ground, Woundwort ran his eyes along the tree line that had begun shaking. He thought for a moment before leveling a hard look at Hazel. "I don't believe you." Seeing the sudden fear appear in Hazel and Fiver's eyes, he knew he was right. Woundwort addressed his guards, "kill them, they are bluffing."

Sam was shocked where he stood. _I knew it! I knew there was something wrong here. He knew, he probably knew all along. Damn it! Now what? _He turned to his human form, hoping to at least buy Hazel and Fiver a few seconds while the Efrafans were surprised at seeing a small human charging at them.

He readied his staff and was about to break cover when he heard a voice in his head. _Sam, use your power_. He stopped, confused. "Wh-What?" the teen asked out loud. _Use your power to free them_. Sam felt his spiritual energy begin to flow into his left arm. _Concentrate your power, and cast it at the dark one_. Sam closed his eyes and tried to do as the voice said. He allowed more and more energy to flow down his arm, until he couldn't fit anymore. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see a glowing green orb floating over his open palm. He didn't have long to consider this new revelation as he remembered the situation. _Cast it at the dark one, huh? Well, if you insist._ He grabbed the orb in his hand and threw it towards the guards that were advancing on Hazel and Fiver. The orb streaked through the air and crashed into the guard closest to Sam, and instead of exploding or doing anything else Sam was expecting, it simply threw the guard back into the others.

All the rabbits in the meeting ground were shocked at what had just happened. Luckily, Fiver must have guessed that it was Sam and decided to use it to their advantage. "You were wrong, General. Not only is our owsla up there, we have a…battle mystic at our warren as well. He, unlike myself, has learned to use his mystical powers to fight. Now, I suggest you let us go, or the next one will be you."

Woundwort was stunned at the small buck's words. He looked over to his soldiers, most of which were lying in a pile, unconscious. He let out a bellow of rage as he turned to glare at Hazel and Fiver. "Go," he said angrily. "Get out of this place. But know, I will find you, and I will destroy you."

Hazel and Fiver didn't miss the chance. They turned and ran up the hill where Bigwig and Sam, now back in his rabbit form were waiting. Together, the four kept running until they were sure they were not being followed.

Some distance away from Efrafa, the group finally stopped to catch their breath. Kehaar landed next to the tired rabbits. "There no stinking Efrafans following. Bah, they scared of little green ball."

"Speaking of that little green ball," Hazel said, "what exactly was that Sam?" Everyone turned to look at Sam who was lying on the ground, completely exhausted.

The teen panted heavily where he lay, too tired to even hear Hazel's question. It felt like his spiritual energy was…cramping, for lack of a better word.

_Oh crap, _he thought,_ does this mean I'm about to go into backlash again? No way, I am __**not**__ letting that happen!_ Calming himself down, Sam concentrated and managed to turn himself human again. _Oh wow, that was a lot harder than normal._ Now that his spiritual energy was healing, or refilling, or whatever it did, Sam was realized that his companions were bent over him with worried looks on their faces.

"I'm alright guys," he said, propping himself up, "I'm just, **really** tired."

Hazel moved a little closer. "You had us worried, Sam. Are you sure you're alright? And what was that thing you did? The green thing?"

"Um, I'm not really sure. I just heard a voice in my head telling me to concentrate and throw it at them, so I did. But you now, I think that thing drained most of my energy, because I'm totally wiped out."

"Can you walk?" Bigwig asked "We should try and get as much distance between us and Efrafa as we can."

Sam shakily stood up. "Yeah, I think I'm good to go for that, but I'm going to have to stick to my human form."

"Alright then, let's move on. Just lean on one of us if you need to, alright Sam?" Sam nodded his head and they started moving.

They were traveling slowly compared to what they were before, because even if Sam was capable of moving that fast, he was too tired to do so. The group kept going until they found a safe place to stay for the night: a little cave hidden beneath a small waterfall in a creek. Even though the stone was not very comfortable on his human form, Sam was asleep almost instantly.


	10. Hazel Does Something Stupid

Chapter 9-Hazel Does Something Stupid

Sam awoke in the familiar darkness. _Good_, he thought, _I have some questions._ He looked around and located Prince Rainbow rather quickly.

"HELLO, SAM," he said, "HOW ARE YOU?"

"Oh, pretty good," Sam replied. "Ya know, aside from the whole, being spiritually drained thing." Sam focused on his spiritual energy, "Although, it seems I'm all better now." _Huh_, he thought to himself, _I didn't know I could just…tell, like that. Cool._

"THAT'S GOOD SAM. IT SHOWS THAT YOU'RE BECOMING MORE USED TO CHANNELING YOUR ENERGY IF YOU ARE ABLE TO GAUGE YOUR OWN STRENGTH. AND BEFORE YOU ASK, THE 'GREEN BALL,' AS YOU PUT IT, IS SIMPLY A PURE BLAST OF SPIRITUAL ENERGY. FOR NOW, IT'S GOING TO BE PRETTY DRAINING FOR YOU, SO I WOULD SUGGEST USING IT ONLY AS A LAST RESORT."

"Sounds good," Sam said. "It kinda sucks being so tired, and after only one shot."

"WELL, GIVE IT TIME SAM," Prince Rainbow said. "EVENTUALLY YOU WILL BE THROWING THEM AROUND LIKE IT'S NOTHING. WHEN YOU GET STRONGER, I SUGGEST YOU EXPERIMENT WITH YOUR NEW GREEN POWER. ITS PURPOSE IS FOR SELF DEFENSE, AND IT IS THE MOST FLEXIBLE OF ALL YOUR POWERS."

The thought made Sam smile. "Sweet! So I'm going to turn into a walking death machine?" He said in mock-excitement.

Prince Rainbow stared at him in shock. "SAM, THAT IS NOT AT ALL HOW YOU SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT IT. YOU MUST USE THESE POWERS RESPON-"

Sam interrupted him, "I was just kidding, calm down." Ignoring Prince Rainbow's glare, Sam went on to ask the other question that had been bugging him. "So what's up with Woundwort? I've read the book, and watched the TV show enough times to know that he was acting kind of brutal, even for him. Oh, and he didn't fall for Hazel's trick like he was supposed to."

Prince Rainbow's eyes widened at the mention of Woundwort's name. "UH, SORRY TO GO SO SOON SAM," he said, speaking quickly, "LOTS OF THINGS TO DO, LOTS AND LOTS OF THINGS. SEE YOU LATER!"

"Hey wai-" That was all Sam had time to say before Prince Rainbow waved his hand and Sam's vision went black.

Sam woke with a start when and found himself in the cave they had slept in the night before. _Dang you, Prince Rainbow, _he thought to himself, _what's __**that**__ about? _He didn't have much time to think on it before he heard Fiver's voice behind him.

"Sam! You're awake!" He turned to see Fiver near the entrance of the cave.

"Oh, hey Fiver," Sam said as he stretched out his sore back. "Where are Hazel and Bigwig?"

"They're out keeping watch. Making sure we aren't being followed by Efrafans. Do you think you're going to be ready to make the rest of the trip home?"

Sam stood up, surprised at how energetic he felt. "Oh yeah! Couldn't tell you why, but I'm feeling awesome this morning. I'm ready as soon as we grab the others."

Fiver and Sam, back in his rabbit body, left the cave and quickly found Hazel and Bigwig. After a bit of talking (mostly complaints about the wait from Bigwig), the group set off for the down. The return trip was not nearly as eventful as the trip there, although Sam **did** have some more fun with the scarecrow, ending with Bigwig chasing him around the field. After a half day of traveling, they were climbing up the side of Watership Down. They were greeted by the rest of the rabbits, with an ecstatic Pipkin in front.

"Sam! Fiver! Hazel! Bigwig! You're back!" This he said as he nuzzled each rabbit in turn. "We were so worried! Weren't we Blackberry?"

She chuckled at Pipkin's enthusiasm as she approached the group. "Indeed we were Pipkin, although it appears that we didn't need to be. How did everything go?"

The group looked to Hazel to provide. He sat there with a faraway look, seemingly ignoring what was being said. Bigwig decided to answer for him. "It was worse than we had thought. Let's gather everyone at the top of the hill and we'll tell you all what happened."

As it turned out, the others were already outside. This included Holly whose injuries were looking much better. Bigwig began the story. He told of the journey, and about meeting Primrose and Blackavar outside the warren. Fiver took over when they split up, since Hazel was still out of it. Sam noticed Hazel's behavior, just he noticed how stony Hazel's face got when Fiver was talking about how they got thrown in the same burrow as Primrose and Blackavar. Bigwig finished with the trial and Sam's ball of energy that saved Hazel and Fiver's life.

At the end of the story, the others were sitting there with looks of amazement and shock on their faces. Holly was the first to form a reaction.

"Who does this Woundwort think he is?!" He yelled. "In my hrair seasons in the Sandleford owsla, I have **never** seen or heard of a rabbit being treated as badly as these are. He's a monster."

"It's worse than I had heard," Strawberry said. "There were rumors about a vicious warren, but no one ever said anything like this."

Blackberry answered, "That's likely because no one who knows more has been able to get out, if what Bigwig and Fiver says is true. It sounds like any attempt to leave would be met with severe punishment."

Hazel jerked his head up and heatedly said, "Not yet they haven't, but they will!" He stared at the rest of the group before walking back to the warren.

Pipkin asked what was on everyone's mind, "What's wrong with Hazel?"

"He's just a little…distracted right now," Fiver said.

"By what?"

Sam answered before Fiver could say anything, "With Primrose. She's that doe Fiver told you they were held captive with. What he didn't tell you is that Hazel fell for her. It was love at first sight."

The rest of the rabbits looked over at their retreating leader. "That's horrible," Blackberry said. "And she's still trapped in Efrafa. No wonder he's so down."

"And that means it's up to us to pick him up!" Bigwig said. "I'm sure he'll be thinking nonstop about how to get them out of that place, so we need to do whatever we can to keep his spirits up."

The rest of the rabbits agreed and began walking off in twos and threes, planning ways to make sure Hazel didn't dwell on Primrose too much.

"Hey Pipkin," Sam said to the small buck, "can you come here for a second? I have a job for you…"

* * *

The next few days went how everyone was expecting. Hazel eventually went back to normal, but everyone could tell he was still planning a rescue. The others did their best, but Hazel's mind was stuck on Primrose, though he rationalized it to the rest by saying they needed more rabbits in their warren. He never said her name.

Early one morning while everyone was asleep in the warren, a lone rabbit was sneaking out. He went outside and began heading towards Nuthanger Farm.

"Hazel-rah, where are you going?" Hazel froze when he heard Pipkin behind him. Hazel turned and saw him slowly crawl out from the warren. "What are you doing up so early?"

Hazel answered, "I'm…just going to Nuthanger Farm. It's nothing to worry about."

"Why? And why so early? And most importantly, why are you going alone?"

"Like I said Pipkin, it's nothing important. Just go back to sleep and I'll be back before you know it."

Pipkin shook his head as he ran out to stand next to Hazel, "No way! I'm not letting you go alone, it's too dangerous. Aren't you the one always saying that we need to stick together?"

Hazel sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get out of there alone. "Fine Pipkin, you can come. But you have to do exactly what I say, understand?"

Pipkin nodded happily, "I will Hazel, I promise." The two set off to the farm. Pipkin tried to engage Hazel in conversation during the trip, but he stopped because Hazel was only giving one word answers, when he responded at all.

The came to the hole in the stone fence and stopped. Hazel looked through the hole and around the farmyard, looking for the cat. "It's clear Pipkin, there's no cat in sight. Let's make our way across the yard and into the barn."

"The barn?" Pipkin asked, confused, "what to do want to do in there? And on that note, what exactly are we doing here Hazel?"

"Right, I haven't told you yet," Hazel replied. "We're here to get more rabbits for the warren. When we stopped here the night before we got to Watership Down, I remember seeing a hutch in the barn. We were too busy to do anything about it then, but now…"

"But Hazel," Pipkin said, "this seems kind of dangerous. Shouldn't we have brought more rabbits with us? Or at least come up with a plan? This just isn't like you."

Hazel got annoyed at Pipkin's words. "Well we didn't Pipkin! It's just the two of us, now are going to help me or not?"

Pipkin was shocked at the tone Hazel was using. He's never spoken to any of the rabbits like that. "Yes Hazel," he said, looking away, "I'll help you." _Because it's pretty clear you aren't going to be watching out for yourself, _he added internally.

"Good," Hazel said, and then started toward the barn with Pipkin in tow. Seeing that Hazel was only looking towards the barn, Pipkin made sure he was looking around for likely places a sneaky cat might be hiding. They made it to the barn before Pipkin noticed anything.

"Hazel," he said in a quiet voice, "we need to be careful, I smell a cat around here."

"I know Pipkin, I smell it too. It isn't in the barn, all the scent is outside. You stay here and keep watch, while I go and see about getting those hutch rabbits out."

Pipkin looked a little scared at the thought of being out there alone, but he shook it off. _I need to do this, _he thought. _Hazel is acting so strangely, I just __**have**__ to do what I can to keep us safe._

With Pipkin watched the farmyard for any signs of trouble, Hazel went in the barn. The "barn" was really more of a large storage shed, only having the many tools a farmer would require. There were bags of seeds, farming tools, and a number of pots for indoor plants. Hazel ignored all of this, instead focusing on the object in the corner. Sitting on top of a pile of hay bales, was a rabbit hutch. Hazel walked towards it, climbing on a lower bale and stretching up so he could see inside.

"Hello," he said to the sleeping rabbits inside, waking them up, "my name is Hazel."

"Hey, what are you doing outside?" one asked in an airy voice. "How did you get outside of your cage?"

This was an odd question to Hazel, but he answered as best he could. "I don't live in a…cage. I live outside."

"Outside?" another said, "you can live outside? But, who brings you food? What do you do about cats, and things like that? That cat is always staring in here."

Hazel shook his head at these odd questions. "No one feeds me, I feed myself. And I avoid elil using trickery from El-ahrairah."

Hazel so focused on the talking to the hutch rabbits, that he didn't even notice there was now another being on the watching him from the barn floor.

"You just can't sit still, can you?"

This familiar voice startled Hazel so much that he gave a high pitched noise before tumbling off the other side of the hay bales. He righted himself and poked his head around the corner to see a familiar rabbit, laughing at him.

"Sam! But…what are you doing here? How did you know where to find us?"

Sam stopped laughing and gave Hazel a "what else did you expect" look. "Well Hazel, what I'm **doing** here, is that I'm here to help you free some of these rabbits. And as to how I knew where you were…

* * *

(Flashback)

"Hey Pipkin," Sam said to the small buck, "can you come here for a second? I have a job for you." Pipkin hopped over to Sam.

"What do you need Sam? Do you have an idea for cheering up Hazel?"

Sam chuckled, "Not exactly buddy, though I'm sure he will have a pleasant surprise. No, what I need you to do is to just keep an eye on Hazel for me. Let me know if he does anything weird."

"Well, alright," Pipkin said, not quite understanding. "What do you mean by weird? I would have said Hazel was already acting weird."

"Oh definitely. No, what I mean is…oh, things like leaving the warren at odd times of the day, or trying to sneak off or something like that."

"Sneak off?" Pipkin said, "why would he do that?"

"Well, you know how Hazel likes that doe from Efrafa, Primrose?" Pipkin nodded. "Well, because he's so frustrated, I'm fairly certain that he's going to do something stupid, just as a way of blowing off steam. Of course, Hazel is still Hazel, so he won't tell anyone about it beforehand, he'll just try and do it on his own. **We** have to make sure he has help, alright?"

"Alright Sam," Pipkin said. "You can count on me."

It was three days until anything happened. During that time, Sam made sure to try and sleep in such a way that he would be able to hear if Hazel tried to leave in the middle of the night. But Sam was not the one to catch him, Pipkin was. It was early in the morning, the sun was barely up and none of the rabbits were awake. Or rather, none **should** have been awake.

"Sam," Pipkin whispered, nudging the sleeping teen, "wake up. I think Hazel is going somewhere."

Sam shot awake when he heard that. "Alright Pipkin, good job. Now for the next part, can you go talk to him? See what he's doing?"

The small buck nodded, "Alright Sam, but what should I do if he won't tell me?"

"Just…no matter what he says, make sure he takes you with him. I'll be following behind the two of you to make sure nothing happens,"

"Right," Pipkin said, "we have to be there for him. Whatever he's doing, he needs us."

"Exactly. Just remember, I'll be following behind you."

Pipkin nodded and headed to the entrance of the warren. It wasn't long before Sam heard, "Hazel-rah, where are you going?"

* * *

"…and following you here was easy, seeing as **someone** was so little attention that you didn't even hear **me **following after you."

Hazel was surprised to hear that. "So, Pipkin was spying on me?"

"Only because I told him to. I knew you wouldn't have let anyone help you; you're just too afraid of putting anyone else in danger. So I knew the only way that I would be able to find out when you were leaving was with his help."

Hazel sighed and looked away. "You could have just asked me…"

"Would you have told me? Hazel, be honest, if I had told you this was going to happen, you wouldn't have woken us up, you would have found some way to get out without Pipkin noticing. I couldn't have that."

"I…" Hazel said hesitantly, "I suppose you're right. I just…didn't want to put anyone else in danger. I figured that if this went bad, the warren would only lose me-"

Upon hearing that, Sam interrupted. "Woah woah woah, what do you mean **only** lose you? Hazel, you're our chief, we need you!"

"I doubt that Sam. You could do just fine without me. If something were to have happened, I'm sure **you **would have been a fine replacement."

Sam's eyes widened. "Wha-me?! Hazel, I mean this as respectfully as I can, but **hell** no!" Hazel blinked in surprise at the sudden outburst. "Ok, besides the fact that if I even tried, Holly would probably challenge me to a duel, I'm a bad leader. Sure, it's easy when I know what's going to happen, but if something unexpected happens, I probably couldn't handle it. We need **you** Hazel."

"I…" Hazel was about to continue when Pipkin's voice rang through the barn.

"Hazel! Sam! There's a cat out there!"

"We'll finish this later," Sam said as he was jumping up to the hutch himself. He jumped on top of the hutch and changed into human form where the rabbits inside couldn't see him. In about five seconds, he had sawn through the cured leather hinges with one of his knives. He turned back into a rabbit and jumped to the floor. "I'll handle the cat Hazel, you and Pipkin try and get as many of them out as you can.

Sam heard Hazel about to protest, but he was already out the door. He looked around trying to find the cat, and spotted it near the farm house. He began running towards it, actually catching it by surprise, before he veered off between the house and the barn, causing the cat to follow. What Sam did **not** see, was that he woke the dog up that was tied to the side of the barn, who immediately started barking. Sam was planning on running behind the barn and losing the cat in some cover, but he didn't count on there being a large stack of crates around the corner. After almost running head first into them, Sam turned around and saw the cat had him cornered.

"Oh wonderful," he muttered sarcastically. That was all he had time for before the cat closed in and started to try and claw at him. Sam was able to avoid the first two swipes, but the third one caught him on the side of the face, making three shallow, parallel grooves on his cheek. Sam cried out in pain, but he didn't have long to dwell on it before the cat went for a pounce. The training Bigwig had given Sam kicked in, he rose up on two legs, and caught the cat's front paws under the claws with his own. The cat pushed him onto his back, where he shoved with his hind legs, using the cat's momentum against it to send it flying into the crates behind him. He got up and looked to where the cat was and saw it struggle to get to its feet while its head was bobbing slightly. It was obviously dazed by the strike, so Sam decided it would be a good time to run.

He rounded the house and saw Hazel standing in the middle of the yard, seemingly looking for him. He was running towards Hazel when he heard a sound that chilled his blood: the sound of a rifle cocking. Sam looked to his left and saw a man, probably the farmer, raise a gun towards Hazel. Realizing that Hazel didn't see the farmer, Sam put on a burst of speed and tackled Hazel, just before he heard the gun go off. He felt dirt pelt him from the narrowly missed shot.

"Hazel," Sam said as he got up, "you have to run, now!"

"Sam! What-"

"We'll meet at the warren, go!" And he shoved Hazel towards the bushes, causing him to stumble and fall into cover. Meanwhile, Sam took off in the opposite direction, trying to run in a zigzag pattern since he knew the farmer must have been aiming at him at this point. Another loud bang echoed through the air, this time accompanied by a yell of pain.

Sam was thrown off his feet from the impact of the bullet into his left thigh, after a couple of seconds, it felt like his entire leg was on fire. As he opened his eyes, he noticed that the blast had thrown him almost to the line of bushes. He managed to get up and using his three good legs, managed to hobble into the brush.

He kept hopping, slowly and painfully, along the tree line that followed a dirt road. His leg was still burning terribly, and he had a thought in the back of his head about how much blood he was losing and how he was leaving a trail. As he kept going, he was beginning to feel light headed. Sam knew he would have to stop soon, but he needed to find some place relatively safe. It was then that a metal drainage ditch came into sight. _Ironic,_ he thought to himself weakly as he crawled inside, _I bet this is the same place Hazel would have gone. Oh __**damn it**__ this hurts!_ That was his last thought as he went unconscious, slipping back into his human form.

Meanwhile, Hazel and the others were running toward Watership Down as quickly as they could manage. They had heard the second shot as well and were all fearing for Sam. Hazel, realizing that fat, lazy hutch rabbits don't run very fast, told Pipkin to lead the rest of the way to the down while he rushed ahead.

In very little time, he got to the top of the hill. He didn't waste any time. "Fiver!" He yelled, "And Kehaar, and…Bigwig, come here!" The three went over, alarmed by the tone in Hazel's voice.

Fiver spoke. "Hazel, what's wrong? And where were you? Have you seen Pipkin or Sam, they've been missing all day. We're starting to get worried."

"I'll explain on the way," Hazel said, trying to catch his breath, "Sam might be in a lot of trouble, because of me. Come on, we need to hurry!" He turned and ran back towards the farm with the others following him.

As they ran, Hazel gave a short explanation. "I was going to go to Nuthanger Farm to try and get some of the rabbits from the hutch they have there free. Pipkin caught me leaving, and apparently he told Sam, because he showed up there too. It was all going well until the cat showed up. Sam ran out to take care of it, leaving Pipkin and I to try and get any hutch rabbits to leave that would. I sent Pipkin and the others off to hide, while I stopped and looked around for Sam. He came around from behind the barn, and the next thing I knew, he had tackled me, told me to run, and shoved me into the bushes.

_Good lad, _Bigwig thought to himself, _always protect the chief._

Hazel continued. "I didn't immediately go, I was trying to see where he had gone. But then I heard a loud bang, and I thought I heard Sam yell. I stayed in cover and tried to find him, but I couldn't. I met with Pipkin and the others, and we went back." He finished as they reached the stone fence. "Which brings us here."

While the rabbits stayed in the bushes Kehaar flew around the area to see if he could spot Sam. He noticed something odd on the ground and flew in to take a closer look. He recognized it immediately and flew back to report. "Hazel, Bigwig, Fiver, I find something!" He led them to the sight he had noticed from the air: blood.

Fiver hopped closer and sniffed. "It's Sam's," he said, confirming their suspicions, "I remember the smell from the weasel attack. But…I think he's still alive. You can follow the scent over that way." He gestured along the grass by the road.

"And over here," Bigwig, who was further up the trail, said, "there's more blood here. There's an awful lot of it though, we need to hurry and find him."

The four looked along the road in any likely hiding spots, but they didn't find anything. Finally, Hazel had an idea.

"Fiver, do you think you could have a vision that would tell us where to find Sam?"

Fiver shook his head. "Hazel, you know my visions don't work that way. I don't just…**get** them, they come when they please."

"Can you try?"

"I've never **asked** for a vision before…"

"Well," Hazel said, "wouldn't this be a good time to try?"

"A-Alright," Fiver said. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Hazel thought it was working, because his face scrunched up like it always did when he had visions in the past. Fiver opened his eyes and looked at his brother's hopeful face before he shook his head. "There was nothing Hazel, I'm sorry."

Hazel sighed in disappointment. "It isn't your fault Fiver." _It's mine._

Just then, Bigwig ran up to the two of them. "What are you two doing over here?" They explained about trying to get Fiver to have a vision, and Bigwig just shook his head. "Instead of wasting time with that, how about you look over there." He pointed behind him and Hazel and Fiver noticed what he had seen: there was a rainbow that seemed to touch down just over the next hill. The rabbits and Kehaar hurried to where the rainbow led, and found the metal drainage ditch.

"He's in there," Hazel said in a desperate tone, "he has to be!" The rabbits closed in with Hazel in the lead. "Sam!" he called, sticking his head in the pipe, "Sam! Can you hear me?" There was no reply. Saddened, the rabbits were about to turn around and keep looking, when the smell of blood hit their noses. It was coming from deeper inside the pipe! Hazel climbed inside, and with a little effort, came back out dragging the unconscious boy slowly by his good leg.

"Sam!" Fiver, Bigwig, and Kehaar yelled in unison. Fiver began trying to wake him up, while the other three looked at the bullet wound.

"Oh, is bad," Kehaar said after a quick look, "Sam was bitten by black pebble. Need to get it out."

"And just how do we do that?" Bigwig asked.

"No worries, Kehaar can do it" the gull proclaimed. "First, need to get colorful thing out of the way." Kehaar was talking about Sam's clothes. At his direction, Hazel and Bigwig grabbed a mouthful of Sam's pants and pulled in opposite directions at the penetration hole, ripping it apart a bit more so Kehaar could get at the wound. The gull gave the hole in Sam's leg an appraising view, then suddenly darted his head down and dug out the bullet. The sudden pain of Kehaar grabbing the bullet was enough to shock Sam back to consciousness with a yell of pain, followed by clutching his left leg.

"Sam!" Fiver yelled, "You're alright!"

This caused Sam to chuckle weakly. "Well, I don't know if I'd say **alright**, but I'm certainly not dead." All of the rabbits, even Bigwig nuzzled him in happiness. Sam rose slowly until he was sitting. "Well," he said weakly, "we should probably be getting back to the down."

This suggestion surprised all of the rabbits. "Already?" asked Hazel. "I don't think that's a very good idea Sam, you need to rest."

Sam shook his head. "Oh I know I do, but I also know that a few hours of rest, heck, even a few **days** will make me more travel ready. The way I see it, I'd rather just do it now, and spend the next few…weeks probably, resting where I know it's safe."

After a bit of arguing, the rabbits finally agreed. With their help, Sam was able to stand up. They began making their way slowly toward Watership Down, with Sam leaning heavily on Bigwig.

"So Hazel," Sam said as they were making their way, "did Pipkin get back alright?"

"Oh yes," Hazel replied, "he and the rabbits we freed made it back just fine."

"That's good." It took a second for what Hazel said to register. "Wait a second, did you say 'rabbits?' As in more than one?"

"Why yes, two of the hutch rabbits came with us. Both does. Their names are Clover and Glade."

_Glade?_ Sam thought to himself, _who the heck is Glade?_ "Ah, that's wonderful news. Good to see this wasn't a waste of a trip then." Sam didn't notice, but Hazel's face fell a bit when he said that.

The group crested the top of the hill with Sam breathing heavily, his leg in pain. The others came running when they saw that Sam had returned. Everyone crowded around them except for two shocked rabbits that were standing near the entrance to the warren. Sam was looking at all his friends with numerous assurances that he was going to be alright, when he noticed the two new rabbits staring at him. _Crap._

"Uh, guys?" He said, pointing to the two surprised does near the warren. Everyone looked their way before they realized the problem. "Well," Sam said, making them look back at him, "I guess we're getting this out of the way early this time. Can you help me over there, Bigwig?" The big buck nodded and the group made their way over to the two does who, to their credit, didn't look so much scared as they did amazed. Sam looked at them awkwardly, not quite knowing how to start. "Um, hi. My name is Sam."

When he spoke, their eyes opened even wider. "You can talk!" This came from the one on the left. She was a bit smaller than Sam and was completely covered in light grey fur. She looked as if she had never lived a day outside in her life. "And how did you get so small?" she said in a very airy voice. "Most men are much larger."

"You…you aren't scared of me?" Sam asked.

"Not really. Should we be? Oh, my name is Clover."

The other one introduced herself as well in a stronger voice than Clover. "And my name Glade. I heard you were a big help in getting us out of that place. Thank you." She was taller, almost as tall as Dandelion. Her fur was russet, and blue, inquisitive eyes.

"Um, yeah, no problem," Sam said. "So…you don't mind that I'm human? Or that I'm staying here?"

"I don't if Clover doesn't." Clover shook her head. "I think it will be rather interesting actually. Most humans aren't capable of understanding anything we say, so it will be fun to actually talk to one."

"Ha, sounds like a plan," said Sam. _Wow,_ he thought, _why can't they all be like this? "Oh no, there's no problem at all, I'm actually excited for it!" Oh well…_ "Well if that's settled, I would absolutely **love** to get some rest. We'll fill you in on the rest in the morning."

Hazel stepped forward. "Here Bigwig, you've done enough. I'll take Sam into the warren and make sure he's alright." Sam leaned on Hazel and the two of them made their way to Sam's burrow. Sam laid down on the ground softly before letting out a breath.

He thought to himself, _I didn't know a dirt floor could feel so good!_

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Hazel clear his throat. "Sam," he said hesitantly, "I…just wanted to apologize for everything today. If I hadn't been so stupid, none of this would have happened."

"Hazel, don't worry about it, I don't blame you. I made my own choices, it's my fault I got hurt. And we managed to get two new members to our warren."

Hazel shook his head fiercely. "Even so Sam, because of my reckless actions, my charging in without a plan, you got hurt. This day taught me a lesson. I **will** get Primrose out of Efrafa, but I'm not going to try anything until I'm positive it's going to work. I won't let my foolishness hurt another of my friends."

Sam listened, impressed. "Remember that Hazel. Like I said, I don't blame you, but those feeling are good ones to keep in mind. They will serve you well in the future."

Hazel nodded, "Thank you Sam, for everything. Good night."

Sam chuckled. "G'night buddy."


	11. The Road to Recovery

Chapter 10-The Road to Recovery

A few days after the incident at Nuthanger Farm, Sam was sitting outside, propped up against the beech tree. This was the first time the rabbits had allowed him to walk around, so he was enjoying the fresh air. As he was sitting there, considering taking a nap in the sun, the two new does, Clover and Glade, approached him.

"Mind if we join you?" Glade asked.

"Not at all," Sam replied, "it's absolutely beautiful out here today. **Much** better than that burrow I've been confined to for the past few days. So, how are you two settling in? Are you adjusting to life outside of a cage?"

Clover answered first in her wispy voice. "It is a large adjustment, but I'm learning. That one rabbit, Strawberry I believe his name is, has been so helpful. And everyone else too, of course."

Sam nodded, "That makes sense. He was kind of in the same situation as you were. He didn't know anything about living on the outside when he first came here either. How about you, Glade?"

"Actually, it's not so much learning for me, but rather remembering. See, I was actually born outside in a warren kind of like this one. When I was just a kitten, there was a fox attack on my warren one day, I think it snuck up on one of the sentries and killed him before he could raise an alarm. When it came to the warren proper, there was so much chaos and even though I knew I should have run to the warren, I turned and bolted in the other direction."

Sam's eyes widened as she told her story. "That's…pretty amazing. But how did you end up in that hutch there?"

She continued, "I remember running and running until I couldn't anymore. I dropped to the ground in exhaustion. I heard the noises of something coming towards me, something big. I opened my eyes and saw a human child in front of me. It picked me up, surprisingly gently, and took me inside one of its large, fast moving creatures. I don't remember how long we traveled, just that when we got to the farm, I was put in that hutch. I was there for hrair seasons, before you and Hazel showed up."

Sam nodded in awe. "Wow. You were pretty lucky, all things considered. I'm surprised you're still alright with humans after that. Most wouldn't have been able to handle being captured like that.

Glade smiles softly. "For a while, I wasn't alright with humans. I hated them for taking me away. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how stupid that was. If that child hadn't found me, I almost certainly would have died. I didn't like being caged, but it was better than the alternative. Clover helped a lot as well. When I was captured, I was really scared, but Clover was there to help me get used to it."

Clover began to fidget in embarrassment. "Glade, I didn't really do anything. I just talked to you, was all."

She responded with in a tone that insinuated they had had this talk many times in the past. "However you want to think of it, Clover. But you **are** my best friend and you **did** help me." Sam smiled at the two. It was obvious that they were very close. "So what about you," Glade asked, turning back to Sam. "What's the story of the tiny human living with rabbits?"

Sam chuckled and began telling his story. He told them how Prince Rainbow chose him to come here. "It would have been nice if he had been a **bit** more specific on what I was doing though." He told them of his powers, and about his knowledge of the future. When he was finished they were speechless.

Sam sat there smiling at the look of amazement on their faces. Surprisingly, Clover was the first to speak. "That's amazing, Sam. What an adventure!"

"Ha! You're telling me. Even though this place can be kind of dangerous, I wouldn't trade it for anything."

The three talked for the rest of the day, becoming fast friends. Clover was just like how Sam remembered from the television series: she was shy and soft spoken, but was very kind and hated the idea of violence to solve anything. And even though he knew nothing about Glade, Sam grew to like her almost immediately. She was quite strong willed, and very protective of her friends. In the passing days, they got to know Sam and the other rabbits even better, and liked to keep Sam company while we was healing.

* * *

(One week later)

Sam was recovering nicely. It was a bright morning on the down when he made his way out of the warren using his staff as a walking stick. As he hobbled into the sunlight, he could see the other rabbits already out on morning silflay in small groups. He saw Hazel, Bigwig, Fiver, and Kehaar talking a bit further out from the rest of the group, so he made his way over.

"-he best way Hazel," Sam heard Bigwig say as he approached. "I should take a group and…oh, hello, Sam." This made the other three turn their heads and notice the teen walking towards them. "How's the leg coming along?"

"Surprisingly well, actually," Sam replied. "I don't understand it, it usually takes a really long time to heal from a gunshot wound." _This has __**got**__ to be Prince Rainbow's doing. There is no way I should be so far healed so soon. Well, I'm certainly not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. _"So anyway, what were you all talking about over here?" The four exchanged glances, seeming to hesitate as to whether or not to tell Sam. Finally, Hazel spoke up.

"Well, we were talking about ways of sneaking into Efrafa. In order to have any chance of getting Primrose and Blackavar out, we're going to have to make our way into Efrafan territory, and with a larger group than last time. I think it would be best to have Kahaar and Hannah make flights over the Efrafan borders so we know where their guards and sentries are."

"And **I**," Bigwig interrupted, "think that while that's all well and good, we need more information than that. We can't assume that every patrol is going to be the same as every other one. I want to take a team and…test them."

Hazel shook his head. "He **means** he wants to bait them into chasing him to see which ones are the fastest, which the best trackers, and so forth. Bigwig," he said, turning back to the large buck, "it's too dangerous. We can't risk anyone from our warren on such foolhardy behavior."

"Embleer Frith, Hazel! What happens if we don't check them out and we try and escape through Woundworts best guards? It makes more sense to take the risk now than when we have the rest with us!"

"Oh would you stop this bickering," Fiver said in a tired voice. It was obvious he had been trying to work this out the whole time. With little success.

Sam decided to intervene. "Calm down guys," he said. "How about…a compromise? Kehaar and Hannah will scout the Efrafans for a while, and tell you where their weakest looking rabbits are stationed. And then Bigwig can try his testing idea."

"It's still foolish," Hazel replied.

The teen nodded. "Yes, it is." Bigwig was about to argue for his plan, but Sam ignored him. "It's still good though, Hazel. Bigwig has a point. **I** certainly wouldn't want to fight the best guards Woundwort has. It isn't ideal, but I think it's the best we have."

The two considered that idea, and reluctantly agreed. Kehaar and Hannah began their scouting the next morning.

* * *

(Two weeks later)

Sam was walking with Bigwig and the rest of the owsla toward their training ground. As he walked, he could not help but feel amazed that his wound was better in so little time. Blackberry, who as it turns out was the resident medic for the rabbits, gave Sam the all clear the day before. So of course the first thing Sam did was to talk with Bigwig about getting some exercise to get back into fighting shape.

The owsla, now consisting of Bigwig, Holly as second in command, Sam, Hawkbit, Dandelion, and Strawberry, came to the same obstacle course that Sam had run for the first time a month ago.

"Alright," Bigwig yelled, "everyone line up for a run through. Sam, you're going last. Seeing as this is your first time back, you're going to run it slower to make sure you're ready for full duty again."

"Of course he doesn't take it easy on the **rest** of us," Hawkbit muttered.

"Oh my apologies, Hawkbit," Sam answered sarcastically, "next time would **you** like to be shot in the leg instead?"

The gray rabbit glared at Sam before he laughed. "Not likely mate. You see, some of us are quicker than others."

"Then maybe you'd like to prove that on the obstacle course, eh Hawkbit?" Bigwig interrupted. "You've just volunteered to be first. Ready? Go!" Hawkbit shook his head and muttered something about having a big mouth and took off through the course, followed by the others.

Sam watched in amazement as they sped through the course. "Wow, they got a lot better since last time I was here."

"Yeah," Bigwig replied, "they're a right proper owsla if I do say so myself. Just wait until we get to sparring, Strawberry might be able to give you a pretty good match. But enough talking, it's your turn. Remember, this is a test run, so take it slow and easy."

_Aw, that's boring, _Sam thought to himself. He ran the course about half as fast as he did before the injury. His leg gave him very little trouble, just some issues whenever he had to make small, careful movements.

Bigwig seemed satisfied with the results. "Looks good, Sam. Now, run it again. Move!" Bigwig had Sam run the course a few more times, then they went to join the other rabbits who were sparring with each other under the direction of Holly. Sam was paired up with Strawberry, and like Bigwig had said earlier, they were a good match. Strawberry had slimmed down considerably since coming to Watership Down, and was surprisingly fast despite his size. The two circled each other and feinted, each trying to find a weakness in the other's defense. Strawberry finally saw his chance when Sam's leg trembled a bit: he launched himself at Sam's left side and used his size to make Sam's weakened leg give out. Before Sam realized what had happened, he was pinned with Strawberry on top of him.

Strawberry quickly moved off of the teen with a worried look on his face. "Are you alright, Sam? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit your leg, I saw it was weak and just...went for it."

Sam was laughing as he got up. "Don't worry about it, Strawberry, no harm done. The leg is still kind of weak, but it doesn't hurt anymore. Dang though, you turned out to be a pretty good fighter."

"Thanks. I never had a chance to do stuff like this at Cowslip's warren. Being part of a real owsla is an interesting experience for me." He lowered his voice, "And I'll be completely honest, I think sparring is pretty fun."

"It can be," Sam replied, "but don't forget what you're practicing for. Real fights aren't nearly so fun."

Strawberry's ears lowered at Sam's words and he began quickly trying to explain what he had said. "Oh, of course. I…I know that, and I wasn't trying to say hurting and killing is **fun**, I just meant…I…oh…."

Sam laughed at the flustered buck, "Don't worry, Strawberry, I was just teasing. I know what you mean: it's nice to try something new."

"Sam! Bigwig! Can the two of you come here?"

Hazel's words echoed down to the owsla training ground. The two looked at each other and began to walk up the hill, leaving Holly in charge of the owsla exercise. They crested the hill and saw Hazel, Fiver, and Blackberry waiting for them.

Hazel waited until they joined the circle before he began speaking. "Alright everyone, now that Sam is ready to go, I think it's time to start thinking about Efrafa again. It seems so long ago that I promised Primrose and Blackavar that I would get them out. I hope they haven't lost faith."

"Don't worry, Hazel," Fiver said, trying to comfort his brother, "I'm sure they haven't. They, above anyone else, would understand how carefully this has to be planned out."

Bigwig, growing impatient, interrupted. "Alright then, Hazel, what's the plan? The owsla is ready for anything."

"If everything goes according to plan, the owsla won't have very much to do. No, we're not going to try an attack. We're going to use trickery worthy of El-ahrairah. Blackberry, if you please?"

Blackberry nodded, "Sure Hazel. The three of us have been talking about this for the past two or three days, and we think we've come up with a very workable plan. To begin, we won't be able to sneak into Efrafan territory like we have hoped before. After observing the Efrafan guards for hrair days, Kehaar and Hannah say that there really **are** no weak points in their borders. At least, none big enough to sneak a large group in. Their guards are all competent, and it seems as though they're rotated between positions randomly. However, they did notice a bridge made of stone that is on the edge of their territory. They keep two guards along the tree line facing towards the warren. **We** can hide underneath the bridge on their side. They never check it, so they'll never notice us."

Sam was impressed. _Wow, I don't believe that they already have all this information. You know, maybe being shot was a good thing if it made Hazel this careful. With this kind of recon on our side, this might actually go pretty well._

Blackberry continued, "Now as for actually getting them **out**, we think it would be easiest for one rabbit, maybe two at the most, to approach Efrafa and get in their owsla. Once in, they would locate Primrose and Blackavar. Three days after that, the rest of our owsla would run a fake attack to draw out the guards, weakening resistance at the warren. They will meet back at the bridge. Then, whoever goes in, accompanied by Primrose and Blackavar, will escape, and they will **also** meet at the bridge."

Bigwig, who had been listening rather patiently, interrupted when he saw a flaw in the plan. "So what you're telling us, is that a group of owsla fighters, being followed by Efrafans, and the rescue team, who will likely **also** be followed, and going to meet in the same place? How exactly are we supposed to escape?"

Blackberry gave him an annoyed look. "If you would be a bit more patient, I'll tell you." Bigwig rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut as Blackberry finished her explanation. "Under the bridge, Kehaar says there's something he called a 'boat' that we can use to escape. He said we can travel on the water with it, away from the Efrafans."

Sam nodded as she finished. "You know, that sounds like it might actually work. If whoever goes in can be careful and not risk blowing their cover, we should be fine. So, who **is** going in anyway?"

Fiver was the one to answer, "We were going to leave that to Bigwig. He's the captain of **our** owsla, so he would be the one to know who stands the best chance of getting into **theirs**."

Bigwig answered immediately, "Oh, I know **exactly** who to send in."

* * *

One week after they had their planning session, the members of Watership Down set off towards Efrafa in hopes of freeing Primrose and Blackavar. Early in the morning, the group set off. Hazel was surprised that when he asked for volunteers, almost every rabbit wanted to come with. Eventually, the group was narrowed down to Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, Sam, Blackberry, Hawkbit, and Dandelion. Kehaar and Hannah were following in the sky.

The group traveled the same route that Hazel and the others had taken a month earlier. They crossed the train tracks and entered the woods beyond, signifying that they were getting close to the edges of Efrafa, when a scent caught their noses. Smelling a fox, the rabbits looked around to find the nearest cover, but there wasn't nearly enough underbrush to hide them all.

Fiver got an idea, "Hazel! That cave we slept in! It's close by and I'm sure it was big enough to hold everyone. This way!" He led the group to the cave hidden by the waterfall that they had found on their last visit. Everyone began squeezing into the cave while Sam and Bigwig stood watch.

After everyone else was in, Bigwig turned to Sam and said, "Alright lad, you next. Quickly now."

But Sam knew what Bigwig was planning. "No thanks," he said quickly, followed by shoving Bigwig backwards through the entrance to the cave. He switched to human form and turned towards the sounds of the fox following with one of the green balls he had thrown before in each hand. Needless to say, the fox got a surprise when it burst out from the bushes.

"What?!" it exclaimed in confusion. "No longears? Only…very small man. Why?"

Sam glared at the fox. "I suggest you just don't worry about it…if you want to keep breathing that is." The fox looked at the small human in disbelief, so Sam threw one of the balls at the fox's feet, causing a small explosion of dirt to fly into its face, scaring it. "Now," Sam began, "get out of here. I won't miss next time." The fox didn't waste a moment, taking off into the woods. Once Sam was sure it was gone, he lowered his arms and let out a deep breath, only to have it knocked out of him by an angry Bigwig.

"And just **what** do you think you were doing," Bigwig demanded. "I could have stayed here and helped you take that fox on. Why did you shove me?!"

"Yeah right Bigwig. That might work on everyone else, but I know exactly what you had in mind to deal with the fox."

"But-"

"No! You were going to try and lead it away from the rest of us, putting yourself at needless risk." Bigwig averted his gaze and got off the teen. Sam got up and dusted himself off. "I understand what you're going through Bigwig, but we need to keep our heads right now. This mission depends on it."

Bigwig looked as if he were going to say something when Hazel approached. "Are you two alright?" he asked. They both nodded. "Listen, I'll say it again, if you don't want to go through with this, we'll find another way. This isn't the only way."

"But it **is** the **best** way." Bigwig said it as a statement rather than as a question. Hazel said nothing, which was as good as a yes. "Come on, Hazel-rah, we're getting close now." Hazel nodded his head and the group continued on.

* * *

Hazel and the rest of the rabbits, minus the infiltration team, were waiting on the opposite side of the river for the Efrafan guards to leave their posts so they could sneak across. They waited until Kehaar gave a harsh cry in the air, the signal that it was safe to cross. The group hopped onto the stone bridge. The bridge was nearly broken through in the middle, but there was a large enough stretch of intact stone for the rabbits to cross. Once on the other side, they scrambled under the bridge where the boat Kehaar had mentioned floated in the water, held by a thick rope.

Hazel took in the sights under the bridge, knowing that it was where he was going to be spending the majority of the next few days. Fiver stood next to his older brother. "Do you think they'll be alright, Hazel," he asked.

Hazel nodded, "They will, I'm sure of it. There is no better team to send in than them."

* * *

Meanwhile, on almost the other side of Efrafa, two rabbits came out of the brush in front of a guard who stamped an alert on the ground immediately. "Is this the warren called Efrafa?" the larger of the two asked.

This made the guard suspicious, very few came **looking** for Efrafa. "It might be, though you're going either way. Who wants to know?"

The two looked at each other and nodded. "Take us to see your chief," the second one said, ignoring the guard's question. "We think he'd be very interested in our skills."

The guard's reinforcements had arrived by then, so the two strangers were taken to the warren with a four rabbit guard. They came out of the bushes to see the toppled tree that housed the warren. They were led through a depression in the land with rabbits on silflay. As they looked around, they saw the guards watching the rabbits of the warren, not outside for trouble.

They were led through the dank passages to a larger chamber in the middle of the warren. Standing atop a plateau on the back wall was the massive chief, Woundwort. On the ground in front of Woundwort, there stood a smaller black rabbit who was in the middle of being yelled at.

"Are you incompetent, Vervain?" Woundwort's deep voice echoed through the cave. "Or perhaps you are lacking is sufficient motivation. I have remedies for both. If it is motivation you require, then I can begin with your ears." The smaller rabbit, Vervain, cringed at the words. "I can take them, one piece at a time, every time you come back and tell me that you did **not** find Hazel's warren. But if you are incompetent, then you are of no use to me." Woundwort finally noticed the guards standing behind Vervain with the two newcomers. "What is it!?" he yelled.

Trying to keep the trembling out of his voice, the lead guard answered, "G-General Woundwort sir, these rabbits wish to speak with you."

Woundwort turned his hate-filled gaze back to Vervain. "Get out of my sight!"

"Yes General," he responded in a servile voice before leaving quickly.

"Now," Woundwort continued, "what makes you think you are important enough to warrant my attention?"

The larger of the two spoke up. "Sir. We have traveled far from our home warren. It was destroyed by men. We are looking for a powerful warren to make use of our skills. I was Captain of Owsla in my old warren, and my companion was one of our top warriors."

Woundwort nodded his head slowly. "I will decide your worth. What are you called?"

"General, my name is Bigwig."

"And I'm called Sunflower…sir."


	12. Infiltration

Chapter 11-Infiltration

The imposing General Woundwort looked down from his pedestal at the rabbits standing before him. "Bigwig and Sunflower. My owsla is full, now be gone with you. Guard!" he yelled to the rabbit that brought them in, "take them away and put them with the rest. Separate marks." He was about to turn and walk away when the guard spoke.

"S-Sir, if I may?" This caused Woundwort to stop and look at the almost quivering soldier as if he were an insect. The guard swallowed audibly and continued. "Captain Avens was killed by a fox on patrol today. Maybe…if one of these two-"

"Silence!" The General's bellow filled the burrow. He considered what the guard had said. "Very well then. It seems there may be a place for you in the owsla after all. For **one** of you. Only the best are privileged enough to be in Woundwort's owsla. You two," he gestured to Bigwig and Sam, "will fight. Whoever lives, I will allow in my owsla. Begin!"

Sam and Bigwig looked shocked at Woundwort's plan. They turned to face each other uncertainly before lowering into fighting stances. As Sam faced off with Bigwig, thoughts were shooting through his head. _This is bad, how do we get out of this? We can't __**actually**__ fight each other! Let's see, how…I've got it!_ As Bigwig advanced on Sam, uncertainty still in his eyes, Sam launched his plan.

Sam sprung backwards and ran behind the guard. "I can't do it," he said, "I can't fight him, not Bigwig." He looked at General Woundwort with pleading eyes. "He was my teacher sir, please, I'll fight anyone else you ask me to, just not him."

Bigwig looked listened to Sam, confused, until he understood what he was doing. _Smart lad_. "Embleer Frith, Sunflower! You have to stand and fight! Your skills are too good to be wasted with the commoners of this warren!" He fake-glared at Sam, still hiding behind the guard. Sam shook his head and averted his eyes.

"Decision made," Woundwort said. "Bigwig, you will report to Captain Campion for instruction on your duties, whereas the weakling," Woundwort scoffed as he gestured to Sam, "will be put into a mark along with the rest. Take care of it!" With that, he turned and walked off deeper into the warren.

Sam continued to hang his head as Bigwig approached him. "I told you, Sunflower," he said, "I told you that you might have to do things you don't like when we left home. Why didn't you fight?"

Sam was about to respond when the guard interrupted. "I'm sorry to interrupt, sir," he said, addressing Bigwig, "but here comes Captain Campion now. And we need to get this one," he gestured to Sam, "assigned to a mark." He bowed his head to the approaching rabbit, "Captain Campion sir, these are two new rabbits to the warren, Bigwig and Sunflower. Bigwig is to report to you for training on his duties as a captain in the owsla, and Sunflower will be assigned to a mark. Where should we assign him sir? Sir?"

When Campion saw Sunflower he stopped and stared. Sam watched at a flash of recognition showed in Campion's eyes. _Wait, no way_, Sam thought to himself, _there is no way he can remember me. We talked for maybe a minute. And that was more than a month ago! _

Campion snapped out of his private thoughts and answered the guard. "Bigwig will wait here. Avens was in the Near Hind mark, so that's where he'll go. Give him the proper marking."

The guard nodded, "Yes sir. But if you don't mind me asking, what will you be doing?"

Campion replied, "Oh, I'll be showing Sunflower here to his new burrow. I won't be long. Now you," he said suddenly to Sam, "come with me." Sam nodded nervously and followed as Campion took him out the way they had come in. He followed Campion wordlessly as he led the way outside and around the tree to a different entrance. This caused Sam to remember the odd way Efrafa was laid out, with each of the marks in separate, non-connected tunnels. The official reason was to prevent an outbreak of illness, but Sam was certain it was to prevent the spreading of ideas from one mark to another. Campion led the way deeper until they came to an empty burrow in the back of the tunnel.

Sam stepped inside. "Thank you for showing me the way, Captain Ca-" he was interrupted when Campion tackled him from behind. Before Sam knew what had happened, Campion had him pinned.

"What are you doing here!?" he said in a harsh tone. "Why have you come to Efrafa? Oh don't look so shocked, you don't get to be a Captain of Owsla without being able to remember a face. **Especially **when that face was trying to convince you that your chief didn't have the best interests of his warren in mind. You're answer better be good: it's the only thing keeping me from killing you right now."

Sam's mind raced. _Oh jeez, now what? I can't just tell him the truth, he'll tell Woundwort right away and Bigwig and I will be captured for sure. Um…maybe I can say we got tired of our old warren? Or maybe- _

When Sam didn't answer right away, Campion added, "Want to know another trait every good Captain of Owsla has? Being able to tell when he's being lied to. So **don't **try it!"

_Right, well, here it goes I guess._ "Well, to be honest, we're here to take away any rabbits that want to leave, but aren't being allowed to."

"No," Campion responded, "I will not allow you to steal anyone away from this warren."

"Maybe I said that wrong, we want to take anyone that doesn't want to be here. We wouldn't think of taking anyone away that didn't absolutely want to leave."

Campion shook his head, "Be that as it may, I still can't allow it."

"Why?" Seeing Campion hesitate, Sam continued, "Why wouldn't you let anyone leave that wanted to? Don't rabbits have a right to live their lives how **they** choose, rather than have someone else's opinions forced on them?"

Campion didn't have a response for that. Backing up slowly, he removed himself from Sam and stood in front of the entrance. "Let's just say I agree with you. What would these rabbits be leaving to? Could you promise them safety?"

Sam nodded, "Our warren is beautiful. The air is amazingly clear, and there is no way for elil to sneak up on us. And even if they did, our owsla is more than capable of handling it. But the most important thing is they would be going to a life of freedom. A life without all the…unnatural constraints that are in this warren. They can silflay whenever they want, be outside whenever they want, anything."

Campion listened to Sam. "It sounds nice," he said to himself. When Sam looked at him questioningly, Campion replied, "I…I'll think on it. For now, just…do what you're here to do. But rest assured, I **will** be having my eye on you so if you try **anything** funny, the owsla will be all over you and your friend. Now come on, you don't get a burrow to yourself, you will be staying with others."

Sam was again thinking wildly to himself as they walked. _Well, dodged a bullet __**there**__. For now anyway. I have to tell Bigwig somehow, this whole thing could come crashing down on top of us at any time, and it's all my fault. Why didn't I think of this?_

Campion stopped at a burrow and gestured inside. "This is where you'll be staying. The others will tell you about what is expected of you in this warren. Now, I have to go deal with your friend."

Sam watched Campion hop away before he entered the burrow and saw two rabbits, a buck and a doe. The doe's back was brown, while her legs, chest, and face were covered in tan fur. The buck was faded black from head to toe. The doe hopped forward and introduced herself. "Hello, my name is Primrose, and this is my friend Blackavar."

Sam almost laughed. _Whatever deity is responsible for this, __**thank you**__!_

* * *

Meanwhile, Bigwig was half listening to the guard, who introduced himself as Pinenut, explain the mark system. He was more concerned about Sam. There was something about the way Campion spoke that made him worry. "…one mark out at a time. Are you listening, Bigwig?" That brought Bigwig's attention back to the guard. "Listen, just because you're going to be a captain in the future, doesn't mean you are one now. Being as you're in training, I still outrank you, and you have a lot to learn. Now as I was saying, when your mark is out on silflay, you and the other owsla rabbits assigned to that mark will be standing main guard in The Run." Bigwig remembered the Pinenut saying that The Run was what they called the large gouge in the land near the warren that the rabbits would silflay in. "When your mark is inside, you will spend some of your time watching over them to be sure they are following our laws. Sometimes, you will be called on to stand secondary guard for another mark, and you will also have to run wide patrol. Captain Campion will show you all of this in person when he gets back."

"I **am** back, Pinenut," Campion said from behind him, surprising the guard, "I'll show Bigwig here his duties now; you're relieved."

Pinenut bowed his head, "Thank you sir." He walked out the way Campion had come in as Campion himself tuned to Bigwig.

"Well, seeing as Pinenut already gave you a rough detail of your duties, we'll get straight to the paws-on learning. But first, I need to give you your mark. Hold still." Bigwig did not move as Campion moved to his right hind leg. Bigwig saw Campion raise his paw as if to strike and braced himself for the hit, but to his surprise, he felt no pain. He looked at his leg and saw three stripes in his fur where Campion's claws had scraped Bigwig's skin without piercing the flesh, effectively shaving the area.

Even brave Bigwig was a bit frightened at Campion's show of control. "Do that a lot then do you?"

"Enough to get good at it," Campion replied. "Now come along, I have to show you the ins and outs of a captain's duty." Campion led Bigwig outside, through The Run, and up along one of the edges where other owsla rabbits were standing guard on a group on silflay. "Like you were told before, when your mark is on silflay, you and the owsla rabbits under your command will stand watch here. Your main job is to make sure no rabbits try and escape, and that none of them get out of line." Bigwig looked at the mark of rabbits and saw that they were literally eating in a straight line.

"Why would rabbits try and escape?" Bigwig asked innocently, "If any wanted to go, couldn't they just leave?"

Campion looked toward the group as well. "Some rabbits just don't know what's really best for themselves. We maintain order here with the thinking that some unpleasantness must be endured for true safety."

"And if anyone disagrees with you?"

Campion gave Bigwig a hard look. "Then we deal with them."

Bigwig returned the stare for a bit, then surprised Campion by saying, "Fine by me. I was Captain of Owsla at my old warren, and I know that there is no such thing as too much discipline."

Campion nodded and led Bigwig to the large tree that housed the warren. He began climbing the web of roots that touched the ground until he reached a large root overlooking The Run and the surrounding area. "This is where you stand secondary guard. You will only do that for a mark that is not your own, because we don't have enough owsla rabbits per mark to cover all positions. When you are standing secondary guard, the captain of the mark currently on silflay outranks you. You take orders from him, and the opposite will be true when you have your mark out. But don't forget, above the captains are Vervain and myself, and on top is General Woundwort. Remember the line of command and you won't have many problems. Now then, when you are on duty as the main captain, you will also run a check of the perimeter and check with the sentries to be sure nothing has happened. We'll do that now."

The perimeter check was the same as Bigwig remembered from Sandleford: run and chat with the sentries for a bit and be on your way. What Bigwig was **not** expecting, was that they were going out to check the guards by the bridge too.

"Everything alright here?" Campion asked.

"Yes sir," one of the guards answered, "we haven't seen anything all day."

Bigwig was relieved to hear that. "Alright then," he replied, "keep up the good work." Campion and Bigwig returned to the warren, the bridge being the last place they had to inspect.

Campion led Bigwig to a different tunnel that he hadn't been in before. "This is where your mark is. The Captain's burrow is in the back. I'll be sending over one of the other captains at some point to see how you're doing. Welcome to the owsla, Bigwig."

"Thank you, sir," Bigwig replied as he made his way to the burrow in the back.

Campion watched him go. _Oh yes, I'm going to have to watch that one._

* * *

Sam just smiled at the two rabbits in front of him. He was wrapped in his own thoughts until Primrose spoke again, "Um, hello? Are you alright?"

"Oh, maybe he went tharn," Blackavar said. "I know that a lot of rabbits do once the shock really sets in."

Sam snapped back to the present situation when he heard them speak. "No no, I'm fine. I was just thinking how amazingly lucky I am to be put in this burrow."

Primrose's ears sagged at his words. "You aren't lucky. You're in Efrafa. No one is lucky to be in Efrafa."

Sam's good mood was drained at the sadness and longing in her voice. "From what I've seen, I think I agree with you there. I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that everything is going to be so much easier now."

"What's going to be easier," Blackavar asked. "Are you here to spy on us? Because we've done nothing wrong!"

Sam chuckled at his outburst. "That couldn't be much further from the truth. I was sent here by a friend. Remember Hazel? Well he kept his promise. Me, and another from our warren who managed to make his way into the owsla, are here to get you out. Sorry it took so long, we had…a little setback."

They wore shocked expressions and their mouths were hanging open. "Can…can it really be," Primrose said quietly, "Hazel sent help?"

Blackavar's shock turned to excitement. "Oh thank Frith! Primrose, we're going to get out! In fact, we may not even need the tunnel now!"

Sam blinked in confusion. "Tunnel? What-"

"We were digging an escape tunnel out of here," Blackavar continued. "Er, well, Primrose was actually the one digging it. I tried to help, but I ended up collapsing part of it. It took three days to undo the damage."

Primrose sighed at her friend's rambling. "It's true, there's a tunnel behind those roots at the back of the burrow. It's not that we weren't thankful for Hazel's offer, but you were taking a rather long time. So, we figured we might as well try something ourselves." She looked away and said quietly, "Though to be honest, I don't know if we would have had the courage to try **anything** if we hadn't met him and Fiver. He just has this…inspiring air about him. Do you know what I mean?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah, he's pretty good at what he does. Everyone loves him. And if it's any consolation, he wanted to come sooner, but one of the rabbits in our warren was injured, and Hazel didn't want to try this without him. He thought about you a lot."

"He did?"

Sam nodded.

"So anyway," Blackavar said excitedly, "what's the plan to get out?"

Sam smiled at the buck's enthusiasm. "It's pretty simple, actually. In two days, the other members of our owsla are going to run a fake attack on the far side of the warren. That's hopefully going to draw away some of the resistance from here, so we can escape with Bigwig's help."

"Who's Bigwig?" Primrose asked.

"Oh right, he's the other rabbit from our warren that I mentioned: the one that infiltrated their owsla. He's going to spend the next couple of days examining their defenses from the inside and planning an escape route. He'll contact me when he can."

Blackavar looked ecstatic, but Primrose still had a doubtful look on her face. "I don't know," she said, "a lot of this plan seems to depend on chance. What if you're found out?"

Remembering his conversation with Campion, Sam frowned. "Well, I **hope** we won't be. I'm sure Bigwig won't have any trouble fitting in, so as long as I can avoid screwing something up, I think we'll be fine." _I __**hope**__ we'll be fine,_ he added silently.

Primrose thought about that and nodded. "Alright, I guess that's as good as it's going to get. But what about-"

"It's time for silflay, get going!"

Sam looked out towards the main tunnel. "What was that?"

"It's the guard," Blackavar answered. "We have to go out to silflay now. Just follow us, keep in line, and above all else, do **not** look at or speak to the officers. Remember, we're out there to eat, and that's **it**."

Sam nodded and followed them out. As they went, Sam saw other rabbits in the same mark heading outside too. He tried to say something to a few of them, but they just ignored him and stared straight ahead, lifeless. They passed through the entrance to the tunnel and into The Run. Sam saw the rabbits that beat them outside getting into a straight line, so they went over and joined it. Once all the rabbits were outside of the tunnel, one of the guards began calling out orders.

"Begin silflay!"

Almost as one, the rabbits lowered their heads and began to eat. Sam hurriedly followed their example.

"Step!"

The rabbits hopped forward as a group, except for Sam, who was caught unaware and quickly got back in line. But not quickly enough for the guard.

"You," he shouted, hopping closer to Sam, "you're movements are sluggish. The mark is expected to move as a unit."

Sam didn't know how to respond until he got a nudge from Primrose. He glanced over and she gestured to the guard, indicating that he should respond. "Um, my apologies sir," he answered in a meek voice, "it's my first day here, you see. I'll get better, I promise."

The guard rolled his eyes and hopped away. "Always put the stupid ones in **my** mark," he muttered. He resumed his previous position.

"Step!"

The group moved again, and this time Sam managed to stay with the group. It went on like this for a while: the guard would yell a command and the mark would follow it as a group. Of course it wasn't long before more trouble came.

"Primrose! You're off your mark!"

Sam looked first to Primrose, who was maybe an inch behind himself, then to the source of the voice. It was the same rabbit he saw earlier getting yelled at by Woundwort. The rabbit was skinny, looking as if he lacked the muscle that the other owsla rabbits had. He looked old, though Sam could not tell if he actually **was** old, or if it was the tuft of hair under his chin that looked like a beard. He hopped down and stood in front of Primrose with a look of superiority on his face. Primrose inched herself forward without even raising her head.

"Look at me when I am speaking to you," he commanded. Primrose did not move and just continued eating as if he weren't there. "You impudent doe!" He raised his paw as if he was going to hit her, when Sam intervened.

"Woah, hold on," he said, "isn't that a little extreme? I mean, she didn't even do anything."

Vervain froze and slowly slid his gaze over to Sam. The look was filled with hatred, anger, and contempt. Sam actually felt a bit afraid from that look, even though he was much bigger and could easily win in a fight. "**What** did you say to me you filthy commoner?"

"I…I was just saying that…it wasn't her fault. It was mine. It's my first day here and, well, I'm kind of a slow learner. Primrose was trying to help me and she must have gotten so distracted that she wasn't paying attention to herself." Sam paused and tried to look contrite, "I'm really sorry."

Vervain didn't move or show any indication that he has heard until he suddenly cuffed Sam hard in the face. The blow sent him reeling and he shook his head to try and clear his vision, when something he couldn't identify crashed into him and he felt a weight on his chest. As his vision returned to normal, Vervain's face, pressed eerily close to Sam's, came into focus.

"I don't care if you've been here for one day or one season, if you want to keep your life…**or** your ears and tail, you will **never** question me again. Do I make myself clear?"

Sam, deciding that it would be best to stop fighting, meekly nodded his head. Vervain glared at him for a moment longer before jumping off, purposely digging his claws in as he did, and yelling at the guard to get the mark back inside.

* * *

Bigwig had a look around the tunnel where the mark he was to be in charge of lived. Any time he tried to introduce himself to any of the rabbits, he was met with fear and whimpering. _By Frith,_ he thought to himself, _this is terrible! These rabbits are absolutely miserable, how can they not see that? It's a wonder they don't have more rabbits simply giving up on life and dying in this place._ He snorted, _they're probably too afraid to consider it._

"Excuse me, are you Bigwig?"

Bigwig turned around at the voice. It came from a rabbit a bit smaller than himself. The rabbit's body was white, but the fur on his face was a light grey, almost like a mask. "Who's asking?" Bigwig replied.

"My name is Moss. Captain Campion has assigned me to help you get acquainted with your new duties. I used to be a captain myself, but now I'm Captain Campion's…I suppose you could call it his second in command."

"Ah, well, nice to meet you then."

Moss nodded, "And you as well. But as to the reason I'm here, Captain Lavender's mark is about to out on silflay, and I thought it might be a good idea to see how it's done before you have your first go at it."

Bigwig nodded. _Anything to keep them happy._ "That sounds like a good plan," he said, "lead on."

They made their way outside and up onto one of the edges of The Run. They did not have to wait long before rabbits began filing out of a different burrow and got into a straight line. "That's how it starts," Moss said. "The mark has to get into a line. Make sure everyone is right on." Bigwig watched as the captain of the mark called out orders, which the rabbits followed promptly, all except one.

_Is that…_ Bigwig thought to himself. _It is! It's Sam!_ This thought had just gone through his head when he saw the guard approach Sam and yell at him for moving too slow. Bigwig didn't hear Sam's response, but it must have satisfied the guard because he resumed his place and continued calling orders. "See that," Moss said, "that's how it has to be. The mark should be one solid unit and any disorganization is dealt with. There is no individual in Efrafa, there is only the warren. And the General."

Bigwig nodded and continued to watch. Everything was fine until he heard Vervain's voice behind him. "Primrose! You're off your mark!" He turned and faced the smaller rabbit, only to be pushed of out the way. "Out of my way you great oaf," Vervain said, barely looking at Bigwig. Bigwig just glared as Vervain made his way down towards the line. They were too far to hear the conversation that took place, so when Vervain suddenly had Sam pinned, Bigwig was shocked.

"What is he doing?" he asked Moss, "Those rabbits didn't do anything wrong!"

Moss shook his head regretfully. "Vervain…can be rather cruel. Unless General Woundwort or Captain Campion is around, he can be very hard to deal with."

Bigwig was only half listening as he watched the situation tensely, ready to leap down and rescue Sam if the rabbit got violent, mission or no mission. Bigwig calmed down when Vervain got off of Sam and the mark began to make their way back into the tunnel.

"Something wrong?" asked Moss, who had noticed Bigwig's tensing.

Bigwig tore his eyes away from the tunnel and looked at Moss, "No, it's nothing. I was just…surprised, is all. Thank you for the lesson." He quickly made his way down to the tunnel he saw Sam enter.

* * *

Sam and the others made their way to their burrow in silence. Until they got there that is.

As soon as they were inside, Primrose turned and said to Sam, "What were you thinking?!" Sam just sat there, confused at what she meant. "I had it under control. Vervain wasn't going to do anything, not to me. It's all a big show with him. **You,** however, are probably going to be targeted by him while you're here. He may even set a watch on you. Where will our plans be then?!"

"Hey, calm down," Sam said, "I was just doing what I thought was right. I don't care if he would have done anything or not, when someone is abusing their power like that, they have to be stood up to." Sam chuckled, "Beside, Hazel would have been **so** mad if I had let anything happen to you."

Primrose looked away in embarrassment, "Really?"

"Oh yes, he-OOF!" Sam didn't get to finish as Bigwig jumped him from behind. Sam sighed when he saw who it was. "Just how many times am I going to get pinned today? I'm starting to get sore, you know."

Bigwig ignored him. "What was that? What happened out there? We're supposed to be keeping a low profile, remember?"

"Yes, and being so loud is **just **the way to do that," Sam shot back. "Now be quiet. Someone's going to hear you. And get off of me!" Bigwig backed off of Sam who stood and shook the dirt out of his fir. "Oh, Primrose, Blackavar," he said, turning to the rabbits behind him, "this is Bigwig, the other one I told you about who snuck in here with me."

They stared at Bigwig in surprise, and relief. "So **you're** the one," Primrose said. "Thank you for helping us."

Bigwig turned and looked at her. "Oh, ah, it's…no problem. Nothing a captain of owsla can't handle."

"Bigwig," Sam said, turning Bigwig's attention back to him, "I'm afraid there's been something of a…problem." The captain's eyes widened as Sam told him about his encounter with Campion. "…and so, I think we should move our plan up."

Bigwig nodded, "I agree. How soon should we go?"

"Preferably as soon as we can. We planned for so much time to try and find these two, but that problem kind of took care of itself, so there's no reason to stay and every reason to go. Maybe…tomorrow morning?"

Bigwig considered that and nodded slowly. "Yes, yes I think that can work. I'll spend the rest of the day outside looking for Kehaar. I'll get his attention and tell him about the change in plan, then have him pass it on to the others. Let's plan for immediately after Frith rises."

"Alright. So…are you going to come get us? Because these two have been working on this escape tunnel in the back of this burrow. I was thinking maybe we could sneak out that way. Then we wouldn't have to go through The Run, where we're **sure** to be seen."

Bigwig shook his head in amazement. "An escape tunnel? How far does it go out?"

"I don't know for sure," Primrose answered. "I know it's not done, so there will still be a chance of us being seen. Let me go check." She hopped to the back wall of the burrow and pushed at some roots on the wall, dislodging the dirt between them to reveal a small tunnel. As she disappeared down it, Sam and Bigwig kept discussing their strategy.

"Alright," Bigwig began, "there will be guards at the entrance to the tunnel to watch for anyone coming or going. The only ones allowed through would be Woundwort, Campion, and Vervain. So we'll have to take them out if I want to get in here."

"That's a thought, but wouldn't it be easier for you to just meet us where ever the tunnel comes up? Why bother alerting the guards at all, we'll just disappear." As he finished speaking, Primrose returned from the tunnel covered in dust.

"Well," she said as she began cleaning the dust off, "the tunnel made it further than I had hoped. It comes up behind the tree, fairly close to the woods. I covered the opening back up so that it won't be easily found."

Bigwig nodded. "Alright, then it's settled. As soon as Frith appears over the horizon, start making your way through the tunnel. I'll make sure I'm there."

"Sounds good," Sam said. "Wait though, one more quick thing: do you think we'll need the others to make a distraction? If this goes well, they won't know we're gone until it's too late. It might almost be better to not risk raising any kind of alert."

"Agreed. I'll let Kehaar know. Tomorrow morning, we escape!"

* * *

Bigwig woke early the next morning. He exited his burrow in the back of the tunnel and made his way towards the exit. "Captain Bigwig, sir," the guard greeted him with a salute. "What are you doing awake so early?"

Bigwig thought about how to answer his question. He decided to answer as "Efrafan" as he could manage. "What I'm doing is captain's business and none of yours, understand?"

The rabbits stood straighter and saluted again. "Yes, sir. Very good, sir."

Bigwig nodded and continued out into The Run, keeping an eye out for sentries, but there were none outside yet. He made his way around the tree and followed the directions Primrose had given him the night before. He thought to himself, _she said it was on a line between an outcropping on the tree and the biggest tree on the tree line. That would be about…here!_ Bigwig saw a patch of ground that looked a bit odd, probably from Primrose digging through it the day before. He sat and waited for the others.

Meanwhile, Sam, Primrose, and Blackavar were awake inside their burrow.

"Is it time yet?" Blackavar asked, barely containing his excitement, "Please say it's time; we're so **close**!"

"Hang on," Sam replied, "I'll go check." He made his way silently out of the burrow and into the main tunnel. He kept low to the ground and snuck around corners as slowly as he could, to avoid being seen. He was about to turn the corner to the entrance, when he stopped. He could see a dim light entering the tunnel, and the shadows of the guards just around the corner. Satisfied that the sun was rising, he quietly made his way back to the burrow. "It's time to go guys, he whispered. "Follow me."

The group made their way into the tunnel with Sam in the lead. Even though it was pitch black, with his rabbit senses, Sam was able to flawlessly navigate through the passage. He slowed as they came to the end of the tunnel. He could tell where Primrose had dug up the day before and was about to dig through himself when voices hit his ears.

* * *

Bigwig had not standing there long before he heard a voice come from behind him. "What are you doing over there?" Bigwig winced and turned to face Vervain as he made his way over and stood between Bigwig and the woods. "I asked you a question **soldier**," he said, using the word as an insult, "now answer!"

"I…was just…keeping watch, is all," Bigwig said. "I get restless in the mornings and I like to put my time to good use."

Vervain glared at him. "Keeping watch, were you? Do you expect me to believe that? What kind of fool do you take me for?" Bigwig was going to answer, but Vervain spoke over him. "I know what you were doing, you were going to try and run! You spend one day here and don't like the way we do things. You would rather be **free** instead of safe. You might have fooled Campion but not me, oh no, not Vervain."

As he continued his tirade, Bigwig saw something behind him that made his eyes widen momentarily: the ground just behind Vervain's feet was sinking! He watched, pretending to listen to Vervain, as Sam poked his head out of the hole. He considered for one moment before nodding and gesturing with his head towards the woods. Bigwig understood. Vervain was still talking, completely unaware of the hole behind him, until Bigwig suddenly tackled him and he fell backwards, right into the escape tunnel.

Sam had backed away from the exit to the tunnel, hoping that Bigwig understood what he was saying. He wasn't disappointed as Vervain suddenly crashed through the ground and was face to face with Sam. "They're esca-" was all he was able to say before Sam gave him an extra hard cuff to the head, knocking him out.

The three climbed on Vervain to get out of the tunnel and meet with Bigwig. "That was quick thinking," he said to Sam, "but we need to hurry."

"Runners!"

The cry pierced though the air, making the group look back towards the warren. They saw a large group of owsla rabbits running towards them. "Time to go," Bigwig yelled, as he led the way to the tree line towards the bridge. The four ran as fast as they could, but were slowed down by Primrose and Blackavar, whose time in Efrafa had left them weak and unfit. They ran, hearing the owsla closing behind them, until out of nowhere, a rabbit appeared and blindsided Blackavar.

"No!" Sam yelled and turned to help him, but it was too late. By the time Sam and Bigwig had tackled the soldier off their friend, he had made a hard bite on Blackavar's hind leg, breaking the bone. The group gathered around him as he moaned in pair, trying to decide what to do.

Primrose nudged him, trying to get him to move. "Come on, Blackavar," she said desperately, "get up! You have to get up, we're so close, you can't give up now!"

"It's no good Primrose," he said painfully, "you have to go. I'll try and stop them as long as I can, but you need to go."

Sam shook his head fiercely. "No way, Blackavar, I know we can get you out."

"It's no good, Sunflower. Just…save Primrose."

Sam was growing desperate. "No, no! I know we can help you, I can carry you to the boat, I know bone-setting techniques, I can fix your leg, I promise!" He was about to change into human form when Bigwig placed his paw on Sam's shoulder.

"Don't, it's no good."

"But-"

"Even if we **could** somehow get him to safety, he wouldn't survive. His leg is in too bad of shape. Even **if** you could fix it, he would be lame for the rest of his life."

Sam shook his head, tears appearing in his eyes, "We can't just…**leave** him here! We have to try and help, we-"

"Sunflower!" The other turned and looked at Blackavar, who had risen himself as much as his leg would allow. "Leave me, get Primrose out of here, please."

"But I-"

"You need to go now! They're coming!" And indeed the group could hear the owsla soldiers closing in.

Sam lowered his head in sadness, "I'm so sorry."

Primrose approached Blackavar and nuzzled his face. "Thank you, Blackavar, we will never forget you."

And the group turned and continued running with heavy hearts, leaving Blackavar to his fate. He turned towards the approaching soldiers. "I love you, Primrose," he said quietly to himself. Then they were upon him.

The others kept running trying to ignore the sounds of fighting behind them. But they could not ignore the scream of death that pierced the air. They kept running, channeling their sadness into energy. With no further problems, they came to the bridge. The guards that were usually there were nowhere to be seen. They ran under the bridge and found their friends, just as they were expecting.

Hazel ran forward. "Bigwig! Sa-Sunflower! Primrose! You made it!"

"Hazel, we need to get out of here," Bigwig said quickly. "We're being followed by owsla solders!" It was then that they heard rabbits coming out of the brush at the top of the bridge.

"They have to be under the bridge, sir. Your orders?"

"Surround and kill them all, but leave Bigwig for me."

Sam recognized the voices of Campion and Woundwort, and knew that Bigwig was right. "Alright everyone, on the boat, go!" The rabbits clambered onto the boat as Blackberry finished chewing through the thick rope that held it. They were drifting away when the first rabbits, Woundwort included, came around the corner. The Watership rabbits and the Efrafan rabbits stared at each other as they floated down the stream. Woundwort let out a yell of anger, but there was no way he could catch them. The current was too fast and the growth along the stream too thick.

The rabbits were celebrating the success of the mission, except for Bigwig, Sam, and Primrose. Hazel came over to them. "What's wrong?" But none of them answered, they just hung their heads.

Bigwig was able to form a reply. "We…we'll tell you later Hazel-rah."

Primrose walked over to Hazel slowly and looked at him. She closed her eyes and leaned against him. "Thank you."

It did not take long for the boat to get caught on the shore. The rabbits disembarked and made their way back to the down with no trouble. It was twilight when they finally crested the hill. Primrose was looking around in wonder as Pipkin, Strawberry, Clover, Glade, and Holly ran to greet them.

"Hazel, you're back," Pipkin said happily. "But you're early. Did something happen? Did everything go alright?"

Hazel smiled at the little buck. "Everything went…we got Primrose out." Bigwig had told the others what had happened to Blackavar during the escape, and Hazel could not call that "alright."

"Well," Holly said cheerfully, not picking up on Hazel's somber mood, "come on inside and tell us all about it!" The others who didn't go to Efrafa agreed with his statement and everyone made their way inside the warren. Everyone except for Sam.

Sam stood on the hilltop watching the sun set with one thought ringing in his mind: _what did I do wrong_?

He stood there until he heard a voice behind him. "Aren't you coming inside?" He turned and saw Glade with a concerned look on her face. "Bigwig just finished telling us what happened. And about Blackavar, the poor thing." Sam said something quietly to himself, which Glade didn't catch. "What did you say?"

Sam whipped around and looked at her with tears running down his face. "I said it was my fault! It was my fault he died!"

"How-"

"He's supposed to make it out of Efrafa, he was supposed to make it! In the book and the show, he made it out! It…it had to have been something I did, something I messed up. I'm the only difference here, because of something **I** did, Blackavar's gone now."

"Sam," she said, moving closer to him, "there's nothing you could have done."

"You don't understand," he said dejectedly, "if I had just insisted on not going in, everything would have worked out fine. Bigwig would have gotten them both out."

Glade decided to try a different approach. "Sam, did you do everything you could?"

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I…" he hesitated, "I think so. Bigwig…was probably right. There wasn't really any way to save him."

Glade nodded, glad she got through to him. "That's all we can ask, Sam. You were sent here by Prince Rainbow, but that doesn't mean you can work miracles. You have to forgive yourself."

Sam nodded and the two stood there, looking over the country side. "Why does it hurt so much?" Sam asked suddenly. Glade tilted her head in confusion. "I only knew him for two days. It shouldn't be this hard."

"It's always hard to lose someone Sam, even if you didn't know them for long. Come on," she said as she nuzzled under his chin, "let's get inside. You could use some rest."

He nodded, "You go. I'll be right there." She gave him one last look, then hopped towards the warren entrance.

Sam looked at the sun again, and the words came, unbidden, to his mind. It was the most natural thing in the world to say.

"My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend stopped running today."


	13. Visions of a Better Life

Chapter 12-Visions of a Better Life

It had been three days since the escape from Efrafa, and life at the warren seemed to be getting back to normal. The owsla kept up their training and had already made one raid on the farm. The only ones who did not seem entirely happy were Primrose, and by extension, Hazel.

"What do you think is wrong?" Fiver asked. He, Hazel, Bigwig, and Sam, still in his rabbit form having not told Primrose of his true identity yet, were standing near the entrance to the warren. They watched Primrose as she stood at the edge of the hill and just stared outward.

"I don't know, Fiver," said Hazel, sounding depressed. "I've tried everything I could think of to make her feel welcome, but she just seems so sad all the time. I don't know what to do."

"Have you tried asking her?" Blackberry inquired, coming out of the warren.

Hazel looked her way. "Oh Blackberry, I didn't see you there. Ask her? Well…no. If it was something personal, I didn't want to impose."

Blackberry sighed. "Bucks," she mumbled under her breath. "Just trust me, Hazel. Go and ask her what's wrong. She **will** tell you.

"Are…are you sure?"

"Positive, now go," Blackberry said, nudging him towards Primrose.

The remaining rabbits and Sam watched as Hazel slowly made his way over and stood next to Primrose, facing the same direction she was.

"What do you think she's going to say?" Bigwig asked. "Have any thoughts Sam?"

The group turned and looked at Sam as he tried to think. "She's homesick, if I remember right. She wants to go back to her old warren."

"But why," Blackberry said, "doesn't she like it here? I mean, we've all been very accommodating…"

Sam shook his head. "It's been a while, so I don't really remember the specifics, but I just remember that she needs to go back. She won't be happy until she does."

Fiver made another observation, "What will Hazel think when she says that?"

"Well I guess we're about to find out," said Bigwig, gesturing at Hazel who was returning to the group. "Well Hazel, out with it. What's wrong?"

Hazel answered haltingly. "She…she wants to go back to her home warren, Redstone. She says…she misses her old friends and needs to see them again."

"But, Hazel," Sam said, "I remember her telling me in Efrafa that they raided her warren. That's how she got captured in the first place."

The chief just shook his head. "I know, and I tried to tell her that, but she wouldn't listen. She insists on going back and says she'll go with or without my help."

Fiver nudged his brother, "So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to help her, of course."

* * *

The following morning, Hazel and Primrose were getting ready to depart for Redstone. Fiver, Bigwig, Sam, Blackberry, and Glade were there to see them off.

"Are you sure you can't come along?" Hazel asked Sam again.

"No, it's better if the two of you do this trip on your own. You'll thank me for it later."

Hazel nodded. "Alright then, I trust you. Bigwig, you're in charge until I get back." The owsla captain nodded. "Primrose, are you ready to go?"

"Redstone, it seems like so long ago," she said. "Yes Hazel, I'm ready." They were about to leave when Fiver suddenly dropped to the ground. He began to moan, and twitched slightly before saying in a terrified voice:

"Despite your longing, despite your need,  
To a shattered hope does this path lead.  
Away they went, by one by two,  
An empty warren waits for you."

Fiver regained his senses and blinked a few times before looking around. Upon hearing his vision, everyone had concerned looked on their faces. Primrose was shocked.

"I…Fiver, how could you say such things?" she said accusingly. "That's a terrible thing to say, Redstone is still there. It has to be."

Fiver answered, "I saw a warren with empty tunnels, and heard echoes of voices and laughter. I…I don't think anyone is there, Primrose. I'm sorry."

"No, you're wrong! Hazel, I'll be waiting at the foot of the hill when you're ready to go." The group watched as she ran down the hill, eager to get away from Fiver and his vision.

Hazel shook his head regretfully as he stared after her. "Your visions do have impeccable timing, don't they, Fiver?" Hazel, who was looking after Primrose, didn't see the hurt look on Fiver's face. Sam, however, did.

"Hey lay off Hazel," he said in annoyance, "you know better than anyone that Fiver can't control these visions."

Hazel turned to look at his brother and saw him hanging his head in guilt. Hazel sighed, feeling guilty himself. "I'm sorry Fiver," he said, nuzzling his brother, "I didn't mean it, I just…I have to go. We'll be back in a few days." He gave Fiver one last small nudge and ran off after Primrose.

The other watched him go, Sam shaking his head. He turned to Fiver, "Don't worry buddy, you know he didn't mean anything by it. He's just really…out of it right now. He's got a lot to worry about." Fiver's ears perked up a bit at the boy's words.

"Alright, enough of that moping around," Bigwig said. "Hazel had put me in charge, and my first order as temporary chief, is to take a day off and relax!"

Blackberry nodded. "That sounds lovely actually. We haven't really gotten much rest since our escape from Efrafa, what with making sure there was no way they could track us back here and watching out for Hazel and Primrose. I think that's a wonderful idea Bigwig."

"It's settled then," he replied, "let's go tell the others." They were of course thrilled at the news and immediately began to partake of the beautiful weather. "This is the life, eh Sam?" Bigwig said later as they were lounging against the tree. "No elil, no Efrafans, and Frith shining down. The only thing that would make it better would be a nice big pile of flayrah!"

"Uh huh," the boy responded absent-mindedly. Bigwig noticed the distant tone in his voice.

"Something wrong, lad? It's a perfect day out and you'd do well to enjoy it."

"I don't really know how to explain it, Bigwig. I know we've earned some downtime, especially with everything that happened recently with Efrafa, but I just can't…I don't know…I don't feel content just sitting here. I feel…bored, like I want to go do something."

"Then go raid the farm or something," Bigwig said, turning onto his side, "but as for me, I plan on catching up on my sleep." He yawned. "By Frith, I love this warren."

Sam chuckled and got up, hoping a walk around the hill would relieve his strange feeling. He walked around the hill a couple time, then down and back up, but nothing seemed to help. It was as if he was missing something. As he was walking, he greeted each rabbit he came across, talking with them for a bit before continuing on his way. He was about to give up and try to get some rest like Bigwig, when he saw Strawberry, Clover, and Glade lying together talking. He got a burst of inspiration.

Sam's mind raced. _Hmm, Strawberry. I could…and then they could go…then hopefully…yes!_ With his plan in mind, Sam went looking for Holly. The older buck still did care much for Sam, but the teen was hoping his plan could change that. Sam found him quickly. Holly was eating a patch of clover away from the others. "Um, hi Holly," Sam said a bit awkwardly. "How's it going?"

Holly shot the teen a suspicions look before replying. "Fine. Not worrying about the enemy for a while gives everyone the chance to build morale. This was a good idea on Bigwig's part."

"Oh totally. Everyone loves having some free time, seeing as we've been focusing on Efrafa for quite some time."

Holly sighed. "Is there something you want? If you're trying to make friends through small talk, I'll have you know it isn't going to happen."

"I wasn't trying to-" Sam began. He took a deep breath before he continued speaking. "That's not it at all. I…was wondering if you would help me with something. I'd like some directions. To Cowslip's warren."

Holly's eyes widened when he heard that. "Are you mad? Why would you want to go there?"

"Okay, I know this sounds weird, but just hear me out. I was thinking of going there on a peace mission. Despite what Primrose wants to think, I **know** Redstone is empty, so I was thinking we could try and get them to move there."

Holly shook his head, trying to sort out which question to ask first. "I…just…**why**? That warren is filled with no good rabbits who would rather become a man's next meal than exert themselves to live. Secondly, how would you get them to go? And to a finer point, how would you get them to allow you there in the first place? We aren't exactly loved there you know."

"Why **wouldn't** we want to try and help them?" Sam replied. "I can't see any reason to not try and help them out of that place if they'd be willing to go. And you can't say that the warren is all bad, Strawberry came from there, remember? And how do you know that the majority aren't like him, wanting to leave, but not having the courage to stand up to Cowslip? I'm not sure yet how I would get them to leave. I still have to talk to Strawberry about that, he'd know best after all. There's no way I could help them if they aren't willing to help themselves. As for getting them to let me stay, how exactly could they make me leave? None of them know how to fight. They wouldn't be able to do anything. I'm not even that good of a fighter, and I could probably take on any of them."

"You're a damn fool," Holly said with a shake of his head. "Are those cowards really worth risking your life for? Who knows how much trouble this could start for our warren. I say we just leave them there."

Sam's mouth dropped in shock. "How can you say that?! I don't understand why you're so against them. Yes, they made mistakes, and yes, they're lifestyle goes against everything you know, but how do you know they chose it? If Cowslip is keeping them there, then we owe it to ourselves to at least **try** and help them. If you're in a position to help someone in need, and you just ignore it, it's as bad as if you were doing it to them yourself."

Holly listened to what the boy had to say, and then stood there in silence. Sam waited for him to respond and was about to say something, when Holly suddenly said, "Alright, fine, we'll go. Is anyone else coming?"

"Wait, what do you mean **we'll** go? I really only wanted directions, I wasn't trying to get you to come with."

"And if you think you're going there alone, you're crazy. That **is** a dangerous place, too dangerous to be alone. And it isn't like you're be able to get there on your own anyway. We should see if anyone else thinks this is a good idea and wants to come, especially Strawberry. His input would be very valuable."

"But-"

Holly interrupted, "Either I lead you there or you don't go, your choice!"

Sam tried to think of a way to get Holly to stay at the down, but nothing came to mind. "Alright," he said in a defeated voice, "let's go talk to the others. And…thank you, Holly."

Holly nodded and led the way over to where Strawberry was talking with Glade and Clover. "Hello, Holly and Sam," Strawberry said as they approached, "enjoying your day off?"

"That **is** the question of the day, isn't it," Sam said humorously. "But actually, we were planning on taking a little…trip. And we were wondering if we might convince you to come along."

"Of course! Where are we going?"

Sam hesitated, then said, "Um…we were going to go to Cowslip's warren."

At the mention of that place, Strawberry's ears lowered and he began to quiver in fright. "Not there," he said in a shaky voice, "why, oh **why** would you want to go there? After we just barely got away last time…"

Sam looked at Holly regretfully. "I didn't really think we'd be able to get him to come." Then to Strawberry, "We're going there hopefully to try and get them to leave. That place is evil and despite what they've done in the past, they don't deserve that. Not even Cowslip."

Strawberry shook his head. "He **might** actually. He…is not a good rabbit. I'm sorry, Sam, but I can't go back there, not yet."

"That's alright, I wouldn't think of forcing you. Could you give us any advice though? Any way to get them to listen to us?"

"It would be hard," Strawberry replied. "Most of them are so used to blindly obeying Cowslip that they'll do what he told them to even when he's not there. Maybe…just talk to them. Point out how bad life is there. Many times they will be listening, even if they don't acknowledge what you say. Oh, there are two rabbits you might want to talk to. Their names are Hickory and Marigold. They were always complaining about how the warren was run, and Cowslip always used to call them trouble makers, so they would probably be the first ones to listen to you."

Sam nodded, "Hickory and Marigold, got it. Anything else?"

"Just…be careful of Silverweed. Though it might not show, he has the majority of that warren under his paw. Cowslip might do the scheming, but **he** has the power."

"Alright, we'll be careful. Thanks for the help."

Sam and Holly moved on when they noticed Glade following them. "Oh hi, Glade," Sam said, "did you need something?"

"Were you looking for volunteers to go with you? Because I would certainly be willing."

Sam and Holly looked at each other with raised eyebrows. "Are you sure?" Sam asked. "It might be pretty dangerous there. There are sure to be snares all over the place, and even if they can't **beat** us in a fight, there's nothing saying they won't **try**."

"Even so, if what you said is true, there might be a lot of rabbits there who could really use our help. Back in my old warren, we always helped our neighbors, regardless of the cost to us. If there's something I could do to help them, then I wouldn't feel right not doing it."

Sam smiled. "I like your thinking. Sure, we'll take all the help we can get, thanks."

The three spoke to the other rabbits to see if any of them would like to come along as well, but only Fiver agreed. At first Sam argued that he should stay at the warren, seeing as the last visit made him go through so much suffering, but Fiver would not take no for an answer. Then came the part Sam had been dreading since the plan entered his head: telling Bigwig. Luckily, Holly volunteered to do that, so Sam, Glade, and Fiver sat a good distance away, watching Bigwig explode at the news, while Holly calmly asserted their point. After a while, Holly convinced Bigwig that it was the right thing to do, and they were on their way.

* * *

Sam sighed in annoyance. "I've been here for almost two months now, you would **think** I would have developed some sense of direction."

"What are you griping about?" Holly asked.

"I'm lost. Again. The last time we came here I got so turned around that I would have had no chance at all of getting home. I'm just saying, you'd think a straight A student would be able to manage basic navigation."

Holly stopped and faced Sam. "There's your problem, you think you can solve all your problems with your stupid human tricks. You told us that Prince Rainbow gifted you with the same senses as us rabbits, right? Well use them!"

"Uh…"

"He's right Sam," Glade said, approaching the pair, "a rabbits senses are the key to understanding their surroundings. I'm surprised you don't know that already."

"Hey now," Sam said in exasperation, "this body didn't exactly come with an instruction manual, and a lot of time it seems like Prince Rainbow is only concerned about teaching me the basics."

"Stupid embleer ithè," Holly muttered. "It's all in the nose. You orient yourself with your nose." Seeing Sam's blank look, the old buck scowled. "How do you bloody humans manage to find your way around? Kittens could do this!"

"Maps and GPS's mostly," Sam replied. "Neither of which I have. Not that they would be all that helpful if I did."

"Do you smell the river, Sam?" Fiver asked, taking over from Holly. "You should be able to smell it on your right."

Sam lifted his nose into the air while the group walked and began to sniff. "I think so, yeah. It doesn't smell all that close though."

Fiver smiled. "Exactly. If you had been paying attention the last time we went here, you would know that we keep following the river at this distance until we get to the warren."

The teen was impressed. "That's…huh. I hadn't really noticed anything like that before."

Glade shook her head from this other side. "Well you should probably **start** noticing it. You humans might be able to blindly stumble through life, but rabbits need to pay attention." Sam watched as her face turned somber. "You get killed if you aren't careful."

"I'll try and be more attentive when we're out," Sam said. "Thanks, everyone."

Holly let out a huff from where he walked at the front of the group. "Yes, well, I think Hazel would be pretty sore at me if I let you get lost or carried off by a hawk while he was gone. Now everyone quiet down, we're getting close."

* * *

Soon, the group found themselves crouched in the bushes overlooking the warren. From where they were hiding they could see a large number of rabbits outside eating, with no one keeping any kind of a watch. "How are we going to do this, Sam?" Fiver asked. "You know they aren't going to be happy to see us."

"Don't worry, Fiver," the boy answered confidently. "I've got this all under control."

He stood up where he was and made his way towards the rabbits. Cowslip approached with a glazed look his eyes. "Welcome welcome, greetings all it's so ni-" his traditional greeting was cut off when he realized who it was. Immediately the distant look in his eyes was gone, replaced by that of a conniving schemer. "You!" He stole a glance at the other rabbits to see if any of them noticed the newcomers. None of them so much as raised their heads. "What are you doing here? Come to steal more of my rabbits?"

"Wow, calm down," Sam said, raising his paws to show he meant no harm, "nothing so dramatic as that. And technically, Strawberry came with **us**, we didn't say anything to him."

"It's irrelevant. What do you want? Talk, or leave."

Sam shook his head. "So dramatic," he muttered. "Cowslip, I'm here to talk to you, and the other rabbits in this warren, about leaving."

"No."

"Aren't you even going to hear me out?"

"No I won't," Cowslip said, crouching into something resembling a fighting stance. "Now leave, before I make you."

Sam sighed. "I really hoped it would come to all this, but to be blunt: no. There's no way you would be able to beat me in a fight, and Holly here is a lot better than I am. Oh, and good luck getting anyone else to help you." His words made everyone glance towards the large group of rabbits. Only two were even looking in their direction, the others were still eating and ignoring them. "See?"

"I…but…" Cowslip stuttered.

"Now listen up," Sam said, moving closer so he was right in Cowslip's face, "we're going to talk to the rest of your warren and see what **they** have to say. And you're going to let us. In return, when we leave, we'll make sure to destroy as many of the snares around here as we can find, deal?"

Cowslip's eyes widened and he stood back up on his hind legs. "You can…but why?"

Sam chuckled. "Why not? There isn't any good reason not to do it if we can. Believe it or not, not everybody out there acts only for themselves. Now, go back over there and act…however it is you're supposed to."

Cowslip's face was alternating between confusion at Sam's kindness and anger at being ordered around. Finally, he sighed in annoyance. "Just do whatever it is you're here to do and leave." Then he turned and went back to the group.

Sam turned back to his friends. "That actually went better than expected."

Holly was grunted in agreement. "Out-talking **him** is pretty impressive. For a human."

"It was pretty easy," Sam replied. "Above all things, Cowslip is an opportunist. He would do whatever is necessary to protect his own life, which includes letting us do our thing in return for destroying more of the snares. Alright, Holly, can you and Glade stay out here? I would like you two to go around and just chat with the rabbits here, see who's totally lost it and who's pretending."

Glade nodded her head. "We can do that, Sam, but what about you and Fiver?"

"There's one certain rabbit that we're going to be looking for. Make sure you stick close together. Like I said, Cowslip is an opportunist. If he thinks of some better deal, you can be sure he'll act on it." They nodded and headed for the nearest clump of rabbits.

Fiver shuddered alongside Sam. "We're going into the warren, aren't we?"

Sam gave Fiver an apologetic look. "Do you think you can? It's fine if you don't want to, I'm pretty sure I can handle it myself."

Fiver shook his head fiercely. "No, Sam, I want to help. I can tolerate that place for a little while. Besides, if we're doing what I **think** we're doing, you may want me there."

"Thanks buddy," Sam said. "Alright, let's go."

The pair made their way over to the warren, making sure Cowslip was watching Glade and Holly before the entered. They came to the large central chamber held up by tree roots, the same one that gave Hazel and Blackberry the idea to build the one back on the down dubbed the Honeycomb. They looked around for one rabbit, the only one they did not see outside.

Sam felt an odd pressure in his head before hearing a voice come from behind him. "And what are you two doing here?" Sam and Fiver turned around and saw the same thin rabbit whose "poetry" made Fiver run out during their last visit: Silverweed. Sam saw Fiver shaking his head as if trying to clear his vision before Silverweed spoke again. "Well that **is** odd. For some reason, the two of you are immune to my mystic powers."

When Sam heard that, he moved between Fiver and Silverweed and angrily said, "What are you doing to him? Stop it right now!"

Sam felt the pressure in his head lessen as Fiver calmed down. "I might as well," Silverweed said, thinking nothing of trying to invade their minds, "it isn't working anyway. Now again, what are you doing here? You made it quite clear last time you were here what you thought of us."

Sam was about to answer when Fiver suddenly said, "You're so full of pain." Sam and Silverweed looked at him confusedly as he continued. "I felt it. I felt…sorrow, regret, and…anger."

"What are you talking about Fiver?" Sam asked. "I didn't feel anything."

Fiver ignored him and stared intently at Silverweed. "Why do you do it? I can tell you don't like it here, it bleeds through whenever you try and touch someone's mind."

"You know nothing!" Silverweed yelled. "This…this is the best way, the only way! Cowslip told me so. He said that this is the safest way to live. We don't have to worry about predators, there's plenty of food, and everyone is happy."

Sam looked at the now trembling rabbit with a pitying look. "Is that…is that really how you see it? Listen, Silverweed, I'm sorry to say, but that's not the way things are. I mean sure, there aren't any elil and there's plenty of food, but you're far from safe. The snares-"

"Aren't a danger!" Silverweed said desperately. "Cowslip said. He said the snares would never be a danger to us!"

Sam was about to respond when Fiver gently pushed by him. He slowly moved toward Silverweed, and though he protested, there was nowhere to run. When Fiver got close enough, he caught Silverweed's head in his front paws. Sam watched as the two of them went ridged with glassy looks in their eyes.

* * *

Silverweed was already confused by the things the two outsiders were saying. He was not going to deny that the system in this warren was flawed, and he did not particularly like manipulating the others every day, but surely it was better than the kind of harsh life elsewhere, right? Then the little one, Silverweed remembered he was called Fiver, began to approach him. This made Silverweed panic. He was a pathetic fighter and even this small rabbit would be more than a match for him. He turned to run, but realized that they were standing between him and the only exit. Then Fiver reached out and clenched Silverweed's head between his paws.

Silverweed felt Fiver trying to affect his mind like he had done to other so many times in the past. But unlike when he did it, trying to keep all emotions out of it and just get the job done, Silverweed felt a steady stream of emotions coming from Fiver. The prevailing ones confused him: concern, care, sympathy. The next thing he knew, he was floating over a high hill with a lone beech tree on the top. He looked and saw rabbits outside the warren, seemingly relaxing and just enjoying the day. Silverweed wondered to himself how they could be so happy. They weren't safe like his warren was, they could be killed at any moment.

"Maybe, but that's a risk that's often worth taking." Silverweed was surprised to see Fiver suddenly appear beside him, staring lovingly down at the scene before them.

"Where am I?" Silverweed demanded. "How did you do this?"

Fiver chucked. "You aren't the only mystic you know. To be honest, I didn't know I **could** do this. The idea just popped into my head. But as to where we are, this is Watership Down, our home."

"They look so happy," Silverweed said wistfully.

"They are. It's truly a beautiful place. Look around, you can see forever. Frith shines down on us. And yes, we are happy here."

Silverweed shook his head slowly, trying to make sense of what Fiver was saying. "But…but what about all the dangers out there? Cowslip always warns about the enemies of all rabbits that want nothing more than to eat you!"

"And that is true. But we certainly aren't defenseless." The scene switched to the night they fought the weasel, with Sam appearing in his rabbit form. "With teamwork, we can fight back against the elil." Their vision shifted again to an inside view of the cave they used to hide from the fox outside of Efrafa. "Of course, fighting isn't our preferred tactic. Frith has given us many gifts to protect ourselves, not the least of them being trickery."

"B-but-" Silverweed stammered, "what about…food?! How do you get the good man food?"

The scene changed again and they were floating over the crop field at Nuthanger Farm. "We steal it. More trickery."

Fiver let the scene dissolve into mist as he saw Silverweed struggling to justify how he lived. "I…I don't understand. Cowslip said this was the best way. He said that the only way to make others happy was to force them to feel it, that they didn't know what was best for them."

"It isn't true," Fiver said. "Rabbits are certainly capable of finding happiness on their own." Images appeared in quick succession: a pair of new parents standing over a newborn litter of kittens, two rabbits touching noses, kittens playing a game of tail tag under the watch of a cheerful mentor, a group of rabbits gathered around a story teller, listening to him spin tales of the bravery and cunning of El-ahrairah. "You see? **This** is true happiness. This is **life**. You have to go and find it on your own. You can't have someone force it on you."

Silverweed nodded slowly with tears in his eyes as the scene began to fade.

* * *

Sam was starting to get concerned. He figured Fiver was trying some kind of mystic approach to getting Silverweed on their side, but they had been standing like that for nearly fifteen minutes. He was considering pushing the two over to wake them up when they both suddenly inhaled a ragged breath. Fiver's paws fell from Silverweed's head and they began to topple, Sam easily catching the two small rabbits. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Fiver groaned and opened his eyes before smiling at Sam. "Yeah, Sunflower, I'm alright. We both are."

Sam looked at Silverweed, who was taking longer to come around than Fiver was. "What did you do to him?"

"I just showed him our side of the story. It seems Cowslip has been deceiving him ever since he was a kitten just showing mystic powers."

Silverweed groaned before standing up as well. He looked between the two before lowering his head. "I…I was wrong. I'm sorry."

"Hey now," Sam said, nudging Silverweed in the shoulder, "don't be so hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes. What's important is what you're going to do now."

Silverweed looked at him with a determined look in his eyes. "I know what I'm going to do. Fiver told me you're trying to get everyone to leave this place, right? Well since I'm one of the main factors keeping them here, I'm sure I'll have little trouble convincing them to accept your offer. But it will take time. I have to make sure Cowslip doesn't realize what I'm doing."

Sam was astonished at this change. "I- That's perfect! Thank you!"

"As soon as some of them are willing to try life on the outside, just send them our way," Fiver added. "You still have the directions I gave you?"

Silverweed nodded, "I do. And…thank you. For trusting me."

"Of course," Fiver said. "I can feel that you're a good rabbit."

Sam was about to agree when Glade came through the tunnel. "I think it's time to go. Cowslip and Holly are…really close to a fight."

"Great," Sam muttered sarcastically. He turned to Silverweed, "Alright, it's up to you from here. Be careful, and if you get in any trouble, don't be afraid to come to Watership Down. You'll be safe there, I promise."

Silverweed nodded, then the three Watership rabbits hurried back outside and saw Holly and Cowslip glaring at each other with open hostility. Sam quickly jumped in between the two. "Alright," he said loudly, "I think it's time for us to be going. Thank you for your time Cowslip, come on guys."

"But-" Holly tried to protest as he was being pushed towards the bushes by Glade and Fiver. The group retreated a bit to a clearing where they were hidden from view from the warren.

"Alright," Sam said to Glade and Fiver, "you two stay here and try and calm Holly down. I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Glade asked?"

"To fill my part of the bargain."

Sam snuck around in the brush all around the warren, cutting up any snare he found. The snares were much easier to find in the day where the sun would glint off of the nylon ropes. In no time, he was back and the group was on their way home.

They weren't walking for very long before Holly spoke to Sam. "I found them."

"Found who?"

"The ones Strawberry talked about, Hickory and Marigold. They were the only ones to actually talk to us. All of the others just seemed…dead. Those two seemed really excited when I told them your plan."

Sam smiled. "Well that **was** quite the productive trip then, wasn't it? Fiver got Silverweed on our side, so I'm sure he won't waste any time connecting with them."

Holly surprised Sam with a chuckle. When the teen shot him a questioning glance, Holly supplied, "I can't wait telling this story to Bigwig. He **hates** it when he's wrong."

* * *

"That's quite the tale," Bigwig said as the group finished their story of the infiltration of Cowslip's warren. "You actually got them to listen?"

"Only some of them," Sam replied, "but it's a pretty good start. Silverweed said he's going to start restoring the other rabbits back to the way they're supposed to be, and maybe he can open Cowslip's eyes while he's at it."

Strawberry, who also came to listen to their tale, was amazed. "I don't believe it! I would never have thought you would have had such luck there. And getting Silverweed on your side? Brilliant!"

"Hey," Hannah yelled, running into the burrow where they were sitting, "it's Hazel and Primrose, they're back!"

Sam changed back into his rabbit form and followed as the group ran outside and saw Hazel and Primrose walking up the hill. They stopped before they reached the others and exchanged a few words before touching noses, Primrose heading towards the warren and Hazel making his way towards the group of waiting rabbits. None of the bucks noticed Blackberry and the other does trade glances before following Primrose.

"So Hazel," Bigwig said, "have a nice trip?"

Hazel chuckled before answering. "It was…interesting." He turned to Fiver, "You were right Fiver, as always. There was no one there and there hadn't been for a long time. Can you forgive me for what I said?"

"Every time, Hazel," Fiver said, nuzzling his brother.

"Oh, and I do have…other news," Hazel said hesitantly. "I…I'm going to be a father!"

The group stared at him for a couple of seconds before they all began speaking at once.

"Bravo!"

"Congratulations Hazel!"

"I'm so happy for you!"

The group began walking back to the warren with Hazel telling the story of their journey.

"No visions for that one, eh Fiver?" asked Hannah, who was riding atop Sam's head as they followed the group.

The small buck let out a chuckle. "I didn't need any. It was obvious!"

The three shared a laugh as they entered the warren.


	14. New Ways of Thinking

Chapter 13-New Ways of Thinking

Only a couple days had passed since Sam returned from Cowslip's warren, and everything seemed to be at peace. They hadn't seen ear or tail of Efrafa for almost a week, and Primrose seemed to be much happier since returning from Redstone.

Sam was eating alone on the top of the hill, enjoying the nice day.

"Hello **Sam**, how are you today?"

"Oh I'm doing good, how are y-" he froze when he turned around and saw Primrose with a mixture of pain and anger on her face. "I…uh…" He sighed. "How did you find out?"

"Hazel told me on the way back from Redstone," she said in an accusatory voice. "He said I deserved to know **everything** about this warren before I decided to live here."

"Thanks, Hazel," Sam muttered to himself. Then he said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, there just didn't seem to be a good time. I mean, if you had left the warren just because of me, I don't think I could have forgiven myself."

"You should have told me! You should have told us back in Efrafa! What, do you think we would have given up our only chance of escape just because it was with a humans help? We could have gotten out sooner, maybe we could have gotten more rabbits out. We could have saved Blackavar!"

"Primrose, I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Listen. Because I love Hazel and trust him with my life, I will trust you too. But you've been given amazing powers, maybe you should think about how to use them."

She walked away, leaving Sam alone again. 

* * *

The month that followed was littered with awkward moments. Sam had spent time around pregnant women before, but a pregnant rabbit was an entirely different matter. For one thing, Primrose was cautious to the point of paranoia every time she left the warren. Sam tried to assure her there was almost no chance of elil sneaking up on them, but it did no good. Then there was the digging. A lot of digging. In the first two weeks of her pregnancy, Primrose spent most of her free time expanding the burrow that she and Hazel shared. She accepted no help, regardless of how many times Sam asked.

Then came the big day.

Everyone was outside of the warren except for Primrose. Hazel paced all over the down, trying not to think about what could go wrong. Fiver did his best to keep his brother occupied, but it was obvious he was doing little good.

"I don't get this," Sam said to Blackberry and Glade, "if there's so much that could go wrong, why aren't there, I don't know, like, rabbit nurses or something in there helping? That's pretty standard for humans."

Blackberry stared at him in mild shock, while Glade just started chuckling. "I…no Sam, it just doesn't work that way," Blackberry said as she recovered. "It is an insult to her if any of us were to interfere. Glade, what are you laughing about?!"

Sam looked at Glade who at that point was on the ground rolling in laughter. "He's just so adorable when he doesn't know anything," she managed to choke out.

Sam rolled his eyes with a smile. "So, ignoring her," he said, drawing Blackberry's attention back to him, "how is it insulting? I've never heard that rule before."

"So there **is** something your legends don't say about us! Well, you know that if there isn't enough food, or if there are a lot of elil, does may take the kittens back?" Sam nodded. "There is another part of that tale, the part you apparently missed, that says does should be the ones to bring their kittens into existence. After all the doe has done to prepare them for lie, no other should have the honor. So for any of us to go in there and try to help her, we would be taking one of her first privileges as a mother away."

"I…see," Sam said. Suddenly, they heard odd little squeaking noises coming from inside the warren. Hazel sped through the warren entrance and disappeared. Sam, too, was on his way in when Blackberry stopped him.

"Wait," she said, "It's not good to have too many rabbits in there at once yet. She will allow others in. Be patient."

So Sam sat and waited, hoping everything went alright. It wasn't long before Hazel came back to the entrance and spoke. "She says she wants Fiver, Blackberry, and…Sam to come and see."

"See, I told you," Blackberry said, barely concealing her excitement. "Now come on!"

She ran after Hazel, followed by Sam. _She picked me,_ he thought to himself in confusion, _why me? I could have sworn she was still mad at me._

They followed Hazel into the back of the warren, where their burrow was located. The group came around the corner and saw Primrose lying on the floor with three small shapes pressed against her. Hazel stopped at the entrance to the burrow and nodded to Blackberry to continue. She went up to Primrose and Sam could hear them speaking excitedly, though he could not make out their words.

"Congratulations, Hazel," Sam said. "What are they? Boys? Girls?"

"Um, two does and one buck if that's what you mean."

Sam smiled. "That's great. What are their names?"

Hazel did not answer. He just looked at his new family. So Fiver answered Sam's question. "New kittens don't get names until it's reasonably sure that they will…make it."

Sam looked at Hazel again, seeing that the look on his face was concern. The teen laid a hand on Hazel's shoulder. "Don't worry Hazel, everything is going to be fine. I'll make sure of it!"

Hazel sighed and smiled at Sam. "Thank you my friend. I know you will."

Just then, Blackberry came back and Fiver took her place. "I'm so happy for you, Hazel," she said, giving him a friendly nuzzle. "They're absolutely beautiful." She continued on her way and left the warren.

Sam and Hazel stood in silence, listening to Primrose and Fiver converse quietly. Soon enough, Fiver came back too, and it was Sam's turn.

"Don't worry," Hazel said as Sam took a deep breath. "You'll be fine."

Sam nodded and made his way slowly to Primrose and her kittens. He sat down a little way away. "Uh, hello Primrose," he said, "you're looking well."

"You can come closer." Sam moved closer, and he could see the three little kittens still snuggled up next to their mother, eyes still closed. "And this," Primrose said quietly to her children, "is Sam. He's a bit different from the others, but you wouldn't be here without him." She smiled at Sam as she spoke. "He risked his life to get us here. We owe him a lot."

Sam was touched by what she was saying. "Primrose…"

"I wanted to apologize Sam, for what I said before. I…I was just sad, losing Blackavar, and finding all of my old friends gone, it made me say things that weren't true. If we had stayed, we might have died too, and there was no way we could have saved him. I haven't really given you a fair chance, and I'm sorry for that."

"Thank you Primrose," Sam said, fighting tears, "it really helps hearing you say that. And…I'll tell you the same thing I told Hazel: I promise, I will do everything in my power to protect your kittens."

She nuzzled him in the side. "Thank you Sam."

He nodded with a smile on his face and left, passing Hazel on the way out. "I told you so," he said. 

* * *

The kittens grew quickly and in a couple of weeks, were running around the top of the hill. They played games like Tail Tag and a hide-and-seek type of game they called The Elil Are Coming. Someone was always nearby to keep an eye on them, and they knew that they still were not allowed to leave the hilltop.

Sam was sitting with Clover and Glade, watching the youngsters play. "I like this," Glade said. "This is what was missing here: the boundless energy of young kittens. They really add a breath of life."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Sam said. "I didn't really like human children all that much, but rabbit children are fun!"

"You didn't like young humans?" Clover asked.

Sam laughed, "Not really. See, human young are usually very loud and annoying. And it takes them a lot longer to get as smart as Primrose's children are already." And it was true. Though they were only a few weeks old, the kittens were already learning the basics of rabbit survival.

"Um, Sam," Glade said hesitantly, "could I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well, I was thinking, there are new kittens here now, and we need to be sure they're safe because they're our future and everything, I was just…"

Sam grew concerned, Glade was usually a very confident rabbit. To hear her stuttering and hesitating so much was unnerving.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She took a deep breath before responding. "I want to join the owsla!"

"Uh…"

"I know what you're thinking: does are **not** owsla material, but I know I can do it! I just…I hate just sitting here, not doing anything to help this warren get along. Do you think…do you think you can help me? With Bigwig, I mean. Please, Sam?"

Sam listened to what she had to say before he began laughing. "Of course I'll help you, Glade," he said, "I mean come on, it Bigwig took a **human**, I'm sure we'll have no trouble getting him to take you."

They found the captain in no time, and Sam explained to him about his new volunteer.

"Absolutely not!"

"But Bigwig, why not?" Sam asked. "I don't see what's wrong with letting her in."

"No, of course you don't," Bigwig answered condescendingly. "Sam, does are just **not** in owslas. They're too small and they just don't have the temperament to be warriors."

Glade couldn't hold in her indignation at his statement. "I don't have the right **temperament**?! And exactly what kind should I have? Would you prefer if I told jokes and stories like Dandelion? Or perhaps some Hawkbit-like complaining would be better? I'm one of the only ones here who actually volunteered to be a part of the owsla, and you would turn me away on foolish grounds like that?"

"I won't argue about it!" Bigwig roared. "You will **not** be a part of this owsla, and that's **final**!"

He walked away towards the warren while Glade stomped off the other way in a huff, leaving Sam staring after them both. "That…could have gone better." Sam decided to let the two cool off and went over to where Dandelion was watching the youngsters play.

"Hello, Sam," he said, "what's with the sad face? Did it have anything to do with the yelling I heard?"

"Ah, yeah. Glade wanted to join the owsla, but Bigwig wasn't very responsive to that idea. Is it true that there aren't any does in an owsla?"

Dandelion thought before answering. "Well, I know there have been some in stories. El-ahrairah once traveled to a far warren composed almost completely of does. The ironic thing is, they didn't allow any **bucks** in their owsla, or the doesla as they called it. I don't remember hearing of any recently though."

Sam sighed, "Thanks, Dandelion. Bigwig apparently hasn't heard that story."

"How about something to take your mind off of it? Me and some of the others were going to head down to the farm to grab a bit of flayrah for the young ones. Primrose says they're about old enough now to try some."

Sam shook his head. "No thanks Dandelion, I'm going to try and cheer Glade up. I figure the anger has almost worn off, so the disappointment will be setting in."

"Alright. Good luck."

Sam walked away from the playful group and looked around for Glade. He found her lying beside Clover a little ways down the hill, her ears drooped in a posture of sadness. Clover tried her best to comfort her friend.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about Glade. You'd make a great owsla fighter!"

"She's right you know," Sam said, getting the does' attention, "you would be, and we'll prove it."

Glade sighed, "It's no use Sam. Bigwig said I wasn't going to be in the owsla, so that's the end of it."

Sam chuckled, "He said the same thing about me. And Kehaar and Hannah, and they're pretty much the back bone of our reconnaissance. He also didn't think Strawberry would be all that good of a fighter. I'm just saying, although Bigwig might know the mechanics of fighting, he's not the best judge of talent."

"What's your point?"

"My **point** is," Sam said, nudging her up so she was standing, "that if we can prove that you would be a good asset to the owsla, he **will** take you. I have a plan: Dandelion said that some of them are going to the farm to get some flayrah for the kittens. While they're gone, I'll do my best to teach you how to fight."

Glade's ears perked up a bit. "This…could really work?"

"I'm sure of it. And we won't know until we try."

The three walked back up the hill just in time to see the raid group about to leave. It consisted of Hazel, Bigwig, Dandelion, Hawkbit, and Fiver. They asked Sam to come along, but he declined, explaining that he didn't feel like another trip to the farm after what happened last time. The group turned in the direction of the farm and departed.

"Alright, let's go," Sam said as soon as they were out of sight.

Sam led Glade, along with Clover, who came along to watch, down the opposite side of the hill to the area where Bigwig had trained him. He tried to remember the lessons Bigwig taught more than two months ago, but something was not going right.

"I don't get it," Sam said after watching Glade lose her balance while trying some of the attacks he had demonstrated, "I don't **think** you're doing anything wrong. Are your feet placed how I said?"

"Yes Sam," Glade responded, annoyance plain in her voice, "they're exactly how you told me, and yes, I'm shifting my balance right."

Sam shook his head in confusion. "I just don't understand what the problem is."

"You're teaching her the wrong way."

Sam, Glade, and Clover all jumped, not having heard Holly approach. "Holly!" Sam said, trying to cover up what they had been doing. "We were just…um…stretching! Yes, stretching, because we were going to have...a race! Right Glade?"

She was about to agree when Holly cut them off. "Knock it off. If I can see through the lies some of the recruits back in Sandleford told, you think I can't see through this?"

"But I-" Sam tried to explain.

"You, quiet!" Holly shouted in an authoritative voice. Seeing Sam was listening, he turned back to Glade. "Now," he continued in a nicer tone, "as I said, the techniques that most owsla soldiers use aren't going to work for you Glade."

"I…but…why not?" she stuttered.

"Because you're a doe." Seeing she was about to react badly, Holly quickly added, "It isn't a bad thing, you just need to learn to fight differently. Use the body Frith gave you. Most bucks that make into an owsla are large and bulky like me, Bigwig, and the ithè over there, so they learn to fight head on, using their weight as a weapon. But it isn't the same for does. Because they tend to be smaller and lighter, does have to fight using speed and flexibility. Here, try it this way."

Sam watched in amazement as Holly helped Glade learn how to fight. It was similar to the style he learned, but it focused more on subtle changes in her balance to dodge attacks and strike an opponent's weak point. Sam could see that she was catching on fast.

"Alright," Holly said, "I think it's about time to put this into action. Sam, I would like you and Glade to have a sparring match."

_He has to be kidding,_ Sam thought to himself. _She's been doing this for maybe two hours, does he think she can actually win_? "Sure," he answered out loud.

The two faced each other and got into their respective fighting stances. Sam was crouched nearer to the ground to protect any vulnerable areas, while Glade was almost standing up, putting little weight on her front paws. Sam didn't waste any time. He closed in on her and aimed a weak cuff at her shoulder and hit…air. _Wait, wha-_ his thoughts were cut off as he was suddenly hit from behind, causing him to lose his balance. He whipped around and saw Glade standing there. _How did she…fine then. If that's the way she wants to play._ He suddenly lunched himself at the smaller doe, planning on pinning her using his larger size. He was about to hit her when his vision suddenly spun and he was lying on his back with her claws resting gently on his throat. He looked over at her smiling face.

"Gotcha," she said.

She moved aside and to let Sam up, but he was stunned. _She's so quick!_ He managed to get to his feet and said, "That…that was amazing!"

"Indeed it was," Holly agreed. "You seem to be made for this. I'm glad to finally have a chance to pass this knowledge along."

"Holly," Glade said, "how **did** you know that? It doesn't seem like the type of fighting style a normal owsla soldier would learn."

Holly chuckled. "That's a story for another time. As for you two though, don't you have something to do? I believe it involved 'proving Glade was an asset'? The others still aren't back from the farm yet…"

"That's a great idea," Sam said excitedly. "We can go there now and prove that you know your stuff!"

Glade nodded. "Right, let's go!"

Holly watched them go with a roll of his eyes and a ghost of a smile on his face. 

* * *

"We're almost there, Glade," Sam said as they came upon the stone fence.

"I can tell," she responded with a melancholy tone. Sam looked at her questioningly. "I'm sorry, it's just that I can smell all the familiar scents that were part of life in that stupid hutch. It took me forever to get them out of my nose when I first came to the down. It just feels odd being back here. **Bad** odd."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Sam said, nudging her side, "you're with us now. You have the power to come and go as you like. It's all going to work out fine." They passed through the hole in the fence and snuck along the bushes, searching for any sign of their friends. "Hey, I think I see them over there."

Glade looked where Sam was gesturing and saw the group that had left earlier. All except for Fiver. "Hey guys," Sam said as they got closer, surprising the group. "What's going on?" They didn't answer, instead looking towards an overturned wheelbarrow laying next to a newly-installed fence surrounding the garden. The farm cat was pacing in front of it. Sam didn't like the looks on their faces. "Where's Fiver?" he asked worriedly.

Hazel answered with a tight voice. "He's in there. The cat snuck up on us and that…thing flipped over when he tried to jump up there to hide. Now he's stuck and we don't know how to get him out."

Sam barely gave it a thought before he told them his plan. "Alright, I'll go and distract the cat, giving you time to free him." Before any of them could say anything, Sam was sneaking further along the bushes, away from the garden and the cat. He went until he thought he was a good distance away, then slowly left the cover, trying not to draw attention to himself just yet. He spied a decent sized rock, and with a kick from his hind legs, sent it flying towards the cat. The rock ricocheted off of the wheelbarrow with a loud noise, starting the cat and making it turn its attention on Sam.

It got to its feet and slowly made its way over towards Sam. Sam waited until it was about ten feet away before he suddenly turned and sprinted back towards the bushes, prompting the cat to give chase. Sam dove into the most tangled part of the bush, moving swiftly through. As soon as he heard the frustrated noises of the cat getting stuck, he turned and left the bush further down, seeing the cats backside sticking out with its hind legs flailing in frustration.

He slashed at the cat, leaving three parallel scratches on its rump, then turned towards the barn and ran. The cat broke free quickly from the offending branches and gave chase. Sam led the cat on a merry chase through the barn and around the house, being careful to avoid waking the dog. As he was running, Kehaar suddenly swooped down and flew just above him. "Sam! They have Fiver, you're good to go!"

"Thanks," Sam answered breathlessly, swerving to the side to avoid a scratch by the cat. "I'll be there soon."

"You want help with cat?"

"No, it's fine. Don't put yourself in danger, I'll lose the stupid thing and be on my way."

"Alright," Kehaar said before flying away again, "be careful."

Sam veered towards the line of bushes again, intending to lose the cat there like he did the first time. _Easy enough, this dumb cat sucks at running thorough those bushes. All I have to do is-_ But his thoughts were cut off as he felt his foot strike something and he went flying. He landed close to the bushes and was about to get up, when suddenly the cat was on him.

It dug its claws painfully into Sam's shoulders. It chuckled before saying in a smooth voice, "Not so clever **now**, eh longears?" It raised its paw to strike the killing blow, when suddenly the cat was sent flying off of him.

"Wha-"

"Come on Sam!" It was Glade, pushing him in the side trying to make him get up. "Let's go!" Sam nodded and the two of them ran for the bushes before the cat righted itself, and soon they rejoined their friends far away from the farm.

Bigwig was the first to see them. "Sam! Glade! Are you two alright?"

Sam smiled. "I'm fine, thanks to Glade. If she hadn't been there, that cat might have gotten me. But it sure was a good thing she **was** there, huh Bigwig?"

Bigwig narrowed his eyes and said in a completely even voice, "We'll talk about it back on the down, Sam."

Sam returned his look with one of equal heat. "Yes, we will." He looked over and saw Fiver sitting among the others with two carrots in his mouth. "Fiver! Are you alright? And where did **those** come from?"

Fiver dropped the carrots before answering. "Yes, I'm alright Sam, due in no small part to you…and Glade. As for the carrots, well, I was stuck under there an awful long time, so I decided to at least do something while I waited for Hazel and Bigwig to come up with a plan. I dug a short tunnel under the fence and was able to grab them. I would have gone for more, but as I brought the second one back, a loud noise echoed through that place. As my ears stopped ringing, I heard the others trying to get me out. And so, here I am."

"Alright everyone," Hazel said, "I think we should be getting back to the down. It's getting late." And it was, the sun was beginning to set, so the group made their way back to the down, with two fresh carrots for the kittens. 

* * *

It was late evening when they got back to Watership Down. Most of the rabbits were eating or watching the joy on the young kittens' faces as they bit into their first bit of flayrah. But elsewhere on the down, there was still an issue to discuss.

"For the last time, Sam," Bigwig said in annoyance, "does do not belong in an owsla. I don't care if she knows how to fight, I've never known an owsla to have a doe in all the time I was at Sandleford, and I don't intend to change that."

Sam was similarly annoyed, but still managed to stay civil. "That's no reason Bigwig. Hazel is always saying how we need to adopt new ideas living here, and that includes you too. How can you justify allowing a human, a seagull and a mouse into your owsla, and they were not even **trained**, mind you, but you won't allow Glade in?"

Bigwig had had enough arguing and decided to end it. "Because at the end of the day, it's **my** owsla, and it's **my** call who to allow in."

"But-"

"Thayli, don't you think you're being a bit rash?" The pair turned and saw Holly walking over. "She's really a very good fighter. Why won't you let her in?"

Bigwig shook his head. "Holly, you know as well as I do that there aren't any does in any owsla."

Holly's eyes widened in disbelief before he answered. "Is…is **that** the reason you won't let her join?" Bigwig nodded. "Bigwig, where do you think I learned the techniques I taught her?"

"I had assumed you learned it from whoever was Captain of Owsla before you."

Holly chuckled. "No, I learned them from the Captain of one of our allied warrens, Bright Sky. A warren I can only guess you never actually went to?" Bigwig shook his head. "Bigwig, their captain was a doe."

Bigwig's mouth dropped and Sam got a huge grin on his face when they heard that. "But…" Bigwig stuttered, "you mean to tell me **she** taught you how does fight?"

"Yes, she did," Holly replied. "We became fast friends, and decided to share training tips with each other for the collective good of both our warrens. I taught her some of the finer points of training bucks, and she taught me what I taught Glade. It isn't a rare thing for a doe to be in an owsla."

"So," Sam said hopefully, "what do you think, Bigwig?"

Bigwig looked away and shook his head in defeat. "Fine," he mumbled, "she can join." Sam let out a yell of success and ran off to tell Glade the good news. "Holly," Bigwig said, turning back to his mentor, "did you ever have to deal with odd things like this back in Sandleford?"

Holly thought for a moment before responding. "Well we certainly didn't have ithèil sticking their noses into things, but I **do** remember this one young upstart. He got into the owsla at such an early age and rose so quickly, I seriously thought he was trying to take my position. "

"Really?" Bigwig asked. "Who was that?"

Holly looked at him and gave him a sly smile, "Oh don't you know? He's the Captain of Owsla in this warren." 

* * *

"Are you serious?" Glade asked with joy. "He said yes?"

Sam smiled at her excitement. "Of course he did. I told you, he just needs to be shown. Congratulations, newest member of the owsla."

Glade smiled and nuzzled Sam under the chin. "Thank you Sam. You always come through."

"Don't thank me yet. Drills are in the morning at first light. Anyone who's late has to run the obstacle course until Bigwig gets tired of watching you."

"Really?" Glade asked nervously.

Sam chuckled. "Welcome to the owsla."


	15. Encroaching Evil

Chapter 14-Encroaching Evil

Only days after the group's adventure at the farm, things were beginning to take a turn for the worse. The Watership owsla had been finding signs of Efrafans when they were out on patrol. The Efrafans still could not find the warren, but if they continued searching like they had been, it would only be a matter of time. The growing closeness of the Efrafans was beginning to cause some…paranoia in some of the rabbits.

Sam sat at the foot of the down, trying to make sense of the two rabbits talking frantically at him. "Alright, hold on," he said, shaking his head, "I don't understand what you're saying. Dandelion, you first. What's wrong?"

The lanky buck was shaking in fear. "We saw him, Sam. We saw him! When Pipkin and I were searching the warren, we saw the Black Rabbit of Inlé!"

"Right…" Sam said with a roll of his eyes. "And what were you searching for again?"

"Haven't you been paying attention to anything?" Bigwig yelled. "Hazel, Fiver, and Hawkbit are missing! No one has seen them all day! So I sent these blighters in to look for them in the warren, and they come out screaming about the embleer Black Rabbit!"

Sam's ears perked up when he heard that. "Wait, they're missing?"

"Yes," Bigwig replied, annoyed. "And since there has been absolutely no sign of them on the down, **I** think they must have been captured by Efrafa! You know that we've been finding signs of them getting closer. Well, now they've found us."

Sam shook his head in doubt. "I don't know Bigwig. That seems like a bit of a stretch. How would they have gotten that close without us noticing?" In truth, the Efrafans still hadn't extended their search beyond the field that Sam and Bigwig saw them in the first time. Their furthest search was still about a mile away, a fair distance for a rabbit.

"We don't have time to sit around Sam," Bigwig continued. "We need to get the owsla ready!"

"Alright fine, tell you what? You do that, and I'll see about Dandelion's 'Black Rabbit,' and we'll be with you soon."

"Hmph, fine," Bigwig said as he stomped away.

"Alright Dandelion," Sam said to the still trembling buck, "show me where you saw it."

Dandelion's eyes widened. "You want to go back in **there**? When the Black Rabbit is haunting our warren? What if he wants me Sam? What if he wants **you**?!"

"I'll take my chances," Sam answered in a flat voice. "Just show me."

Dandelion led Sam into the warren and into a run that was still being dug.

"Dandelion," Sam said as they continued down the deserted run, "isn't this that run that Blackberry told us to stay out of? I could have sworn she said something about this place not being very safe."

"It **isn't** safe," he said in a quivering voice. "Not with the Black Rabbit here. It was just around this corner."

Sam nodded and took the lead. As he rounded the corner, he saw a hole in the floor of the run with light streaming out of it. _Huh, now that's interesting,_ he thought as he approached. He peered down the hole and saw light reflecting off of the wet floors and walls of an underground cavern.

"There he is!" Dandelion suddenly screamed, almost making Sam lose his balance. "Oh Frith help us!"

Sam turned and saw a shadowy form on the wall behind him. Sam moved his ears back and forth, and the form on the wall copied his movements. Sam sighed and turned back into his human form. "Hey Dandelion," he yelled to his companion, who was covering his eyes in fright, "take another look." The yellow buck slowly uncovered his eyes and saw the humans shadow on the wall.

"Wha-what is that?" he asked in confusion.

"It's a **shadow** buddy. You know, like the ones you have outside?"

Dandelion approached the pit as well and gave a sheepish smile as a second shadow appeared. "Ah-haha…whoops. Sorry Sam, looks like you were right, false alarm."

"It's a good thing you came back here though," Sam said, returning to rabbit form. "I just remembered where the others are."

"Do you mean Hawkbit and the others?" he asked excitedly. "Where?"

"Right here," Sam said, gesturing to the pit behind them. "They fell down there. Come on, you can smell that they were around here recently. And look here, the ground is recently broken. The floor probably collapsed when they stood on it."

"By Frith Sam, you're right! Come on, we must tell Bigwig!" 

* * *

"You mean we have to dig?" Bigwig asked as he, Dandelion, Sam, and Blackberry sat at the edge of the hole.

"Yeah Bigwig," the teen replied, "we do. And don't start complaining. You're always going on about making sure the chief of a warren is safe. Well, this is the best way to do it."

Blackberry, who had been examining the walls and floor, turned and spoke. "This will be a good spot to start. We'll have a tunnel down to that cave in no time."

Sam nodded. "Right. You three start on that, I'll go and get some help." Sam exited the warren in search of more diggers. He went first to the other does, knowing that even though he was only encouraging the rabbits' stereotype, they **were** better at digging. Only Glade and Clover were available, Primrose having to watch the kittens. As they walked back, Pipkin came begging to be allowed to help, and of course they could not say no.

They went down the run and found a sizable indent in the wall that Blackberry had indicated earlier. "Alright guys," Sam said as he approached, "I've got some help. Let's go."

The group set to digging, taking it in shifts whenever someone got too tired. Sam, Glade, and Pipkin were resting in the run while Bigwig, Blackberry, and Dandelion were digging. Sam noticed Glade shooting strange looks at him.

"Um, is something wrong?" he asked.

She gave her head a quick shake. "What? Oh, no, it's nothing. It's just…I still find it strange sometimes that you would do stuff like this as a rabbit, rather than in your human body. Wouldn't it be more comfortable in the body you're most used to?"

Sam shrugged. "Humans aren't really built for digging. Or hiding. Or running. And I can't eat with it either. My rabbit body is a lot more useful around here, so I tend to stick to that. The only thing my human body really has going for it is the thumbs, and I don't miss them as much as I would have imagined."

"Oh, I see."

"Sam?" Pipkin asked.

"Yeah buddy?"

"What's a thumb?" Sam spent the remainder of their break teaching Pipkin the different fingers that humans have. After spending the majority of the day digging, they finally broke through into the cave.

Sam and the rabbits looked at the place around them. Stalagmites were scattered around the outside of the chamber, and there was a passage leading deeper in.

Bigwig began sniffing around before declaring, "They went this way." He gestured to the other passage. "They must have decided to try and find their own way out. Come on, let's go let them know that we've rescued them."

The group was about to venture further into the cave, when a familiar voice suddenly echoed above them. "Oi Bigwig, what are you doing down there? That seems like an odd place to patrol." They turned and looked at the hole in the ceiling to see Hawkbit smirking with Hazel and Fiver sitting behind him.

"Hazel!" Sam called in excitement. "What are you doing up there? We thought you fell in."

"We did," Hazel said as he exited the newly made run. "We found another way out, and I think you'll be very interested in where it leads. Come along, I'll show you."

Hazel led them through the cave towards the exit they found. Along the way, he pointed out numerous dead ends that they had found when they were trying to get out. "We're almost there," Hazel said as he turned the corner into a wider tunnel with a large rock embedded in the wall. They followed their chief until the path opened into a chamber that was larger than the one they had entered in. Everyone except Hazel stopped and stared.

Half the chamber was taken up with a multilevel pool of water, each with a miniature waterfall leading to the lower level. The lowest one drained into a small stream that had worn a path through the stone and flowed around the corner. Surrounding the pools were stalactites colored with many hues of green, yellow, and some light red. The colors blended together and reflected off the water so well that Sam almost thought he was looking at a painting.

Incredible…" the teen said breathlessly. "Oh what I wouldn't give for a camera right now, this place is **way** too beautiful for others not to see." He turned and saw the rabbits staring at him strangely.

"Are you alright Sam?" Pipkin asked.

Sam shook his head to regain his focus. "Oh yeah, sorry guys. I just got…distracted. Let's go." They continued alongside the stream, and eventually through it, as it widened to cover the entire tunnel. Hazel motioned for them to slow as the tunnel they were approaching had running water. The current in this tunnel didn't look particularly strong, but it was deep enough that Sam couldn't see the bottom. He peered around the corner and saw light streaming through an exit to the cave.

Hazel turned to the group. "Alright, Sam and Bigwig come with me. The rest of you wait here. We won't be long."

With that he turned and jumped into the water, swimming as he let the current carry him towards the exit. Bigwig went next, then Sam. When Sam jumped in, he realized two things: the water was much colder than it looked, and he had not actually been swimming as a rabbit before. The result was him being swept along the current, struggling to keep his head above the water. Luckily, there was a sand bar at the mouth of the stream and he was able to regain his footing.

"And here we are," Hazel said, ignoring Sam's sputtering. "Notice anything?"

Sam looked at where they had exited. They were in a little cove just off the main body of a river. He saw typical trees and bushes, but nothing out of the ordinary. Then his eyes caught something strange through the tree line. He hopped along the river until he could get a better view, and saw an almost broken bridge.

Bigwig came up behind him and saw the bridge as well. "Is that…is that the bridge from Efrafa?" Hazel nodded. "So we're in Efrafa? Right now?" Hazel nodded again. "Haha! That's bloody brilliant Hazel! We have a direct line right into the heart of enemy territory."

"I thought you'd be happy," Hazel said. "But we should go. I'd rather not hang around here any longer than necessary. Don't want to draw attention."

They turned back towards the cave. As Sam passed inside, he saw a wall of shrubbery hanging over the entrance, concealing it all but the most intense of searching.

_Huh,_ he thought to himself, _I must have missed that when I was…drowning._ They swam back to where the others were waiting, Sam in his human form this time. Everyone else was excited to hear about the news too, and they returned to the down to tell the others. Holly in particular was very interested in the information, and he and Bigwig went off to start making plans about how they could use the tunnel to their advantage. 

* * *

It had been a few days since the discovery of the tunnel leading to Efrafa, and it seemed like things were finally starting to calm down, however short a time of peace it was. Sam, Hazel, and Bigwig were sitting apart from the others, discussing the latest troubling news.

"How far did you say they got Bigwig?" Hazel asked, concerned.

"I told you Hazel-rah," the owsla captain responded, "as we were out on patrol, we caught the scent of the Efrafans at the edge of the field. The **near** edge of the field. They're getting closer every day. We need to do something!"

Hazel shook his head in worry. "You're right, but what?" He turned away from the other two and started mumbling to himself. "Hm, maybe…traps? No, that would only enforce the idea that we're in this direction. Take out their patrols perhaps? No! Same problem! I...wait, what about…" He turned back towards Sam and Bigwig with an excited look on his face. "We'll trick them! All we have to do is leave false scent trails in the woods between here and there. Between all of us, we can leave so many that they won't have any idea which way to go."

Bigwig considered the plan for a moment. "That…could actually work. If we were to make a bunch of trails leading some other direction, we might get them to avoid this place."

Sam smiled as he listened to the planning, and then started laughing. When Hazel and Bigwig shot him odd looks, he explained the thought he had. They smiled as they listened, knowing it would be the perfect topper to their plan.

They decided to split into teams of two and have them each take a section of the woods. Only Primrose and Pipkin stayed behind to take care of the kittens. The teams consisted of Hazel and Fiver, Bigwig and Holly, Sam and Glade, Dandelion and Hawkbit, and the last team of Strawberry and Clover. Kehaar and Hannah would fly overhead to coordinate the project.

Glade followed Sam on the path Hazel directed them to take. "Sam, do you know why Hazel has us going out here?" she asked. "Wouldn't it make more sense for us to be working in the woods like the rest?"

"You must not have been filled in before we left," Sam said as he turned into human form. Glade shook her head. "Well, we were hoping that I would actually be able to stop the Efrafans from continuing in this direction at all."

Glade responded skeptically, "And how to you plan on doing that, oh mighty Messenger?"

"Did I tell you the specifics of my powers yet? It's kind of hard to keep track of who knows what."

Glade blinked in surprise. "There are specifics? I thought it was just simple shape changing."

Sam explained the effects of the three powers he had.

"We were hoping that by turning off the blue one," he concluded, "that I could spread human scent all around here and hopefully stop them from coming this way."

"That's incredible. And smart. Leave it to you, Hazel, and Bigwig to think up something like this. Let's get started then."

Sam nodded. "Right. But just so you know, while turning my blue power off makes me smell like a human again, I won't be able to understand you. It's the same one that controls my lapine speaking abilities."

Glade looked a bit disappointed when she heard that. "Oh. Well, let's get this done as quickly as we can then." When nothing visible happened, she asked, "Sam, can you hear me?"

Sam heard it as, "Sam, veth es uthow ma?" Sam shook his head and said, "I don't understand what you're saying Glade, sorry." She nodded her head and the two began walking around, trying to make the woods smell like human. The main plan was to walk around and brush up against everything that he could.

He and Glade spent a silent three hours walking back and forth along the tree line and a bit in the field itself for good measure. Sam turned back into a rabbit just as Kahaar flew down to them.

"Hey Sam and Glade," Hannah called from his back, "Hazel wants you to join him and the others. They say they've found something odd. Come on, we'll lead you there."

"I wonder what that's all about," Glade said with curiosity.

"Not sure," Sam replied, "let's go see."

The two followed on the ground as Kehaar led them away from the warren to the west. They traveled for about twenty minutes before spying Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, Hawkbit, and Dandelion sitting in the bushes looking at something in a clearing. "Hey there Hazel," Sam said as they approached, "did you need us for something?"

The rabbits jumped a bit at the sudden arrival of their friends, but Hazel responded, "Yes Sam, thanks for coming out here. What is that thing?" He gestured towards the clearing as he voiced his question. Sam looked out and saw the sun reflecting off the glass panes of a house-like structure.

"Oh, that's a greenhouse," Sam replied. Seeing the blank looks on the rabbits' faces, Sam kept explaining. "Oh how do they work again?" he mumbled. Then louder, "Ah right. They trap Frith's rays inside, allowing plants to grow."

"Oh, I…see," Hazel said, not entirely comprehending what Sam said.

Sam shook his head. "Here, I'll show you. The door is open and it doesn't look like there's anyone in there. Come on."

With that he left the cover of the bushes and made his way towards the open greenhouse with the rabbits nervously following behind him. Inside was a maze of concrete walls, rising about a foot off of the ground. There were flowers and leaves rising up from all of them. "See," he said as they walked inside, "it's a lot warmer in here. That allows all these plants to grow, most of which I'm guessing you haven't seen before."

"No I haven't, but that doesn't stop it from being delicious." Sam turned and saw Hawkbit and Dandelion munching on a large leaf that dangled below the edge of the wall.

"Um, guys?" Sam said, beginning to get nervous, "do you think that's a good idea? I mean, usually the plants in these things are kind of special, and whoever owns this might get mad. The last thing we need is one of the humans on the warpath."

"Oh come on Sam, give these a try." This came from Fiver who was eating one row over. "They really are good." Glade nodded her agreement.

Hazel and Sam looked at each other and shrugged. _Oh hell,_ Sam thought to himself, _the guy really was asking for it, leaving the door open like that._ Sam hopped to a promising looking plant and took a bite. His eyes widened at the amazing flavor. As he ate, Sam was almost sad to think that he would have to go back to eating plain grass after this. It was like comparing gourmet cuisine to school food.

Sam and the others were so busy enjoying the amazing food that they didn't notice Bigwig had spotted something. "Lads, come over here," he said softly, "and keep quiet." Hearing the concern in their friend's voice, the others crept over to where Bigwig was crouched by the door.

"What's going on?" Sam asked quietly as he got closer.

Bigwig gestured towards the far tree line. "Efrafans." Sam looked in the same direction as Bigwig, and sure enough, a patrol led by Vervain and Campion emerged from the bushes. Sam strained his ears to make out what they were saying.

"Come on you louts!" Vervain yelled at the patrol, all of whom looked exhausted besides Campion and himself. "We aren't going to find the outsiders' warren with you lazing about. Now move or I'll report you to the general!"

"That's enough Vervain." Sam was pleased to see Campion speak against the other rabbit's cruelties. "They're far too tired to continue like this. We should rest here and then go back to Efrafa. We've come as far as we can today."

Vervain rounded on the larger rabbit. "In case you have forgotten Campion, General Woundwort put **me** in charge of this patrol, and if I say we keep going, then we keep going! I'm not going to risk my tail just because these layabouts can't handle a little patrolling."

Campion looked as if he wanted to tackle Vervain on the spot. "Fine then, a compromise. You can surely see that if we were to find the outsiders' warren, we would be in no position to do anything. And if they saw us, there's little chance any of us would escape, even the two of us. We can rest over in that man thing. I can see flayrah from here and it will provide good cover."

Vervain considered before making an annoyed huff. "Fine," he said, and the patrol headed towards the greenhouse. Sam and the Watership rabbits started to panic when they heard that. They began looking frantically about for a place to hide. Suddenly, there came a pained grunt from outside. Sam and Bigwig watched as one of the Efrafan rabbits fell to the ground just outside of the tree line.

"What are you doing?!" Vervain howled in a rage. "Come out of that bush you fool!"

Sam heard a voice he didn't recognize. It was heavy and slow with fatigue. "I'm sorry Captain Vervain, my foot got stuck. If I could just get some help-"

"Help? Oh no, any rabbit who makes such a stupid mistake deserves to be left for the elil."

Campion stepped in front of Vervain, obviously disagreeing with his assessment. "What are you doing Vervain?" he said in a harsh voice. "How can you just leave him there? He's a member of our owsla and part of your patrol!"

In a cold tone that gave Sam chills, Vervain responded, "The useless and weak deserve to die Campion. Only the strong are allowed to live."

Campion was about to respond when a piercing shriek cut though the clearing. Looking up through the glass ceiling, Sam and the others saw a hawk dive towards the group of Efrafans. They saw it at the same time as a loud "Scatter!" sounded from outside and the entire patrol broke in different directions for the bushes.

All except Campion.

Sam watched as he ran to the fallen rabbit and tried to help him up. With a bit of nudging, he was on his feet and quickly turned and ran into the brush. Campion tried to follow but he was too slow. Sam heard a pained cry as the hawk latched onto Campion and lifted him from the ground.

"No!" Barely thinking, Sam quickly switched into his human form, took aim, and launched an energy ball at the hawk. The ball hit the hawk's left wing, causing it to drop Campion into the trees. Sam and the other rabbits ran towards the trees to search for the Efrafan captain.

Sam heard a sharp intake of breath from Glade. "Oh Frith…" Campion lay on the ground. Sam edged closer and saw large gashes on both of Campion's flanks where the hawk had grabbed him, and numerous smaller scratches and scrapes along the rest of his body, presumably from the fall. Moving closer still to Campion, Sam was able to notice small movements in his body. He was breathing. He was alive!

"Frith above," Hazel said in astonishment, "this is one tough rabbit. I wouldn't believe it possible to survive a fall like that."

Bigwig solemnly approached. "What should we do with him Hazel? If you ask me, we should take advantage of the situation and eliminate one of Efrafa's best warriors." He raised his paw above Campion's head, preparing to end the soldier's life.

"No!" Sam and Hazel yelled simultaneously. Bigwig stopped and looked at the two in confusion.

"You can't do that Bigwig," Sam continued, "he's a good rabbit. You saw what he did out here; he was only captured because he risked himself trying to save another rabbit. He isn't like the other Efrafans."

A memory flashed in Bigwig's head.

_Campion looked towards the rabbits on silflay. "Some rabbits just don't know what's really best for themselves," he said to Bigwig. "We maintain order here with the thinking that some unpleasantness must be endured for true safety."_

"_And if anyone disagrees with you?" he replied._

_Campion gave Bigwig a hard look. "Then we deal with them."_

Bigwig closed his eyes, willing the memory away. "I think he's a bit more like the others than you want to believe, Sam."

"It doesn't matter Bigwig," Hazel said firmly, "he's injured and defenseless. We don't kill rabbits that have no means of defending themselves. That's Efrafan thinking. We must try and help him."

"Help him?! Forgive me Hazel-rah, but that's a foolish idea! If we don't kill him now, we'll only regret it later. I've seen the Efrafans in action, and Campion is almost as good a fighter as Woundwort. We'll deal a terrible blow to their owsla by killing him!"

"I said **no**, Bigwig," Hazel responded with an edge in his voice.

Bigwig glanced between the steady looks Hazel and Sam held on their faces. "Embleer Frith, fine! Have it your way! Help the blighter if you want, but I'm going home." Bigwig started back towards Watership Down. Hawkbit and Dandelion looked back and forth between Hazel and Bigwig, but Hazel gestured for them to go and they followed their captain. Sam, Hazel, Glade, and Fiver were left with the unconscious Campion.

"You two can probably go as well," Hazel told Fiver and Glade. "Sam and I will stay to watch over Campion."

"Are you sure, Hazel?" Fiver said anxiously. "Wouldn't it be better to have more rabbits here in case anything happens?"

Glade nodded her agreement. "He's right. What if the Efrafans come back? Or the hawk?"

"No, it would be best for just Hazel and me to stay," Sam said. "When Campion wakes up, it would probably be for the best if he didn't think he was being held captive or something. If the hawk comes back, I can just blast it again. And if the Efrafans come, well, they looked so tired that the only one who could put up a decent fight **might** be Vervain. And honestly, I'm still looking for any excuse I can to smack him around. We'll be fine, I promise."

"Go on," Hazel said, "come back later if you wish, but for now it would be best for you to go.

Though they clearly weren't happy with the idea, Fiver and Glade nodded and turned to follow Bigwig and the others from the owsla.

Hazel watched them go before turning to Sam. "We should get Campion somewhere safe. Staying out here is only asking for elil to come." Just then, they heard the screech of the hawk from before.

"Alright, Hazel," Sam said, turning to his human form again, "you drag him into the greenhouse and I'll cover you."

Hazel nodded and grabbed Campion by the scruff of the neck, gently pulling him towards the greenhouse. Sam walked by him, keeping his eyes towards the sky. He heard a cry behind him and whipped around to see the hawk coming in for another dive. Sam charged and launched another energy ball at it. Learning from its previous mistake, the hawk pulled out of its dive and banked to the side to avoid the blast, screeching its anger as it did. Sam threw one more ball, chasing the hawk away again. He looked back and saw that Hazel had made it into the greenhouse with Campion. Sam turned to his rabbit form and followed.

"Good job Sam," Hazel said. "Now all we have to do is wait for Campion to wake up."

"Alright," the teen replied.

The two waited into the evening, but Campion showed no sign of regaining consciousness. Getting bored, Sam decided to take a look around the rest of the greenhouse, leaving Hazel alone with Campion. He followed the wall of the greenhouse to the back, where he found something odd. Sitting in the corner was a dish full of water sitting by a wooden box with a small opening near the ground. Sam looked inside the hole, but it was too dark to see anything, though a dry, musty scent wafted out. The box gave Sam a bad feeling. He thought to himself fiercely, _what is this? Why do I think I'm forgetting something? Something important…and bad._ His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a squawk above him. He looked up to see two colorful birds sitting on the sprinkler system hanging above the plants.

"What you doin' in here longears?" the red one asked.

"Ya," the green one continued, "you and the other longears-es should get gone soon."

"Um…" Sam hesitated, thrown off by their odd speech. "Is there something wrong with being in here?"

The red one ruffled his feathers. "Ya, the slither thing gonna get you!"

"Oh ya, slither thing bad," the green one said.

"Very bad."

"Bad for you that is."

"Not bad for us, we're up here."

"But you can't get up here, so…"

"…bad for you!"

Sam was lost by their rapid trade in speech. "Okay wait, what's a slither…thing…" _Oh no,_ He thought as he rounded back on the box, _that's what I forgot! We need to get out of here before-_

*Click*

Sam's blood went cold as he looked at the door, only to find it closed with the farmer walking away. _This is bad,_ he thought, _I need to get back to Hazel and Campion quick!_ As he saw a scaly nose poke out of the box, Sam turned and sprinted back towards the others.

"Hazel!" he yelled before he could see them, "is Campion awake yet? We need to get out of here!" He rounded the corner and saw Campion and Hazel talking to one another, the injured rabbit on his feet.

"Sa-Sunflower, what's wrong?" Hazel asked in concern.

Campion stared intently at Sam as he came into view. "You…" he said in a strained voice. "I didn't think **you** were going to be here…"

Sam's ears lowered, an unconscious reflex upon hearing the distant tone in Campion's voice. He quickly snapped out of it though. "Listen, whatever problems you have with me will have to wait. We aren't alone in here."

Hazel perked up in alarm. "What do you-" He was cut off by a rustling in the bushes on their right.

"Ohhh, that not good." The rabbits looked up towards the direction of the taunting voice to find the birds Sam had met earlier.

"No, not good at all."

"Slither thing coming."

"It going to find you."

"It sees your heat."

"You not gonna escape!" The two birds cackled mischievously from their perch. Upon hearing more rustling, they turned back towards the bushed to see a flat, scaled head slide out from the foliage. The snake sat in front of them with its head raised off the ground, eyeing the rabbits with a bloodthirsty glare.

"Oh," Hazel said weakly as he dropped into a position to run, "so that's a 'slither thing' then?"

Sam dropped down as well. "It's better known as a snake, but yeah, that's it."

Campion shook his head. "I've never seen a thing like this before. How do we fight it?"

"We don't," Sam replied. "This thing is too big for us to have a chance of beating it in a fight. Our only hope is to find some way out of here. It can bite really fast, so keep your distance. And if it gets a hold of you…you're done."

Hazel looked at the boy in shock. "Not even you could fight it, Sunflower?" he asked, referring to Sam's human weapons.

Sam shook his head. "No, I would be way too slow. It would get me before I even lifted my arm." Sam tried to ignore the piercing look that Campion was giving him.

"Fine then," Hazel said decisively. "Campion and I will try to distract this thing, while you try and find us a way out of here." He turned to the injured Efrafan. "Are you well enough to run?"

"Faster than you, I'd say," Campion replied with a bit of humor, surprising the other two.

The snake lunged and the three split off in different directions, all avoiding the snake. Sam leapt though the plants and ran until he reached the glass wall. He turned and looked around, but could not detect the snake near him. The only thing he heard was loud rustling in the distant plants, which he took to be Hazel and Campion. He turned back towards the glass wall, changing to his human form again.

"Alright, this shouldn't be too hard," he said as he pulled out his staff. He detached the knives from the ends and prepared to smash a hole in the wall. He struck the wall, but nothing happened, not even a scratch! _What the…_ he thought. He tried again, hitting the wall harder and harder, but nothing happened. He made small marks, but the glass showed no signs of actually breaking. _Fine then, plan B._ He reattached one of the knives onto the staff and prepared to strike again. _These things have cut thorough everything else,_ he thought, trying to give himself confidence. He closed his eyes, _please don't wreck my knife…_ He opened his eyes quickly and charged at the wall. The knife connected with the glass and sunk in a bit, but the slipped out, creating a gouge in the glass and causing Sam to stumble forward and hit the wall with a thump.

"Hazel, look out!" Sam's head rose in alarm as he heard Campion and Hazel shouting back and forth.

"Come this way, quickly!"

"Watch out behind you!"

"Quick, over here!"

Sam grew frantic, knowing that they could only hold out for so long. _Let's try this then._ He stepped back from the wall and charged one of his energy balls. _This one __**has**__ to work,_ he thought desperately. He hurled the ball at the mark he had made before, hoping it would break through the glass. He was not prepared for the ball to bounce back at him when it made contact with the wall. He managed to dive out of the way before the ball whizzed by where his head had been moments before, and turned to see it dissipate on the concrete. "Damn it!" he screamed in frustration.

He shook his head, trying to calm down. _Alright, think. How else can we get out of here? Can't get through the wall. The door? No way, how would I work it being a foot tall?_ He heard more yelling from Campion and Hazel, it sounded like they were tiring. _On the other hand,_ he thought, running to the front of the greenhouse, _it can't hurt to look._ He approached the front wall, expecting to see a door handle or some other equally impossible thing for him to use holding the door shut. What he saw instead, was a simple two way latch holding the door shut on both sides. A latch he could undo. _If I can hit it that is._ He pulled his staff out again and tried to throw it javelin-style at the latch, missing terribly. A few failures later, he realized that throwing wasn't going to work.

Sam looked around frantically. _Come on, there has to be __**something**__ I can…oh, there we go._ He spied a pile of small ceramic plant pots sitting in the corner. Working quickly, he managed to stack three of them in a pyramid shape. He climbed to the top of the pile and looked up. He was still about two feet shy from reaching the latch.

"Sam!" he heard Hazel yell, apparently so preoccupied that he forgot to use Sam's rabbit name. "Did you find a way out yet?"

"Working on it!" the teen yelled back. He reached with his staff towards the latch, still short by a couple of inches. With a grunt of effort, he jumped and hit the latch, causing it to become undone. "I got the door open," he yelled. "Hurry over here!"

"By the Black Rabbit of Inlé…" Sam turned around when he heard the startled voice and saw Campion standing by one of the rows of plants.

Sam jumped down, worrying more about their escape. "Impeccable timing, Campion," he muttered to himself. Sam pushed on the door, causing it to slowly open. "So yeah, I'm a human. I know this is probably a bit surprise, but can you worry about it later? We still need to get out of here alive, and I could use some help with this door. Campion?" The teen looked back to see Campion in a fighting stance. "Oh for...look, we don't have time for this! We need to leave. Now where's Hazel?"

"Right here!" Sam looked to his side to see Hazel come around the corner, out of breath. "You got the door open. Good work, Sam."

Sam nodded. "Right, now let's get out of- Campion look out!"

The large rabbit turned to see the snake lunging at him. Suddenly, a green ball rushed by his head, hitting the snake in the open mouth. Campion turned and saw Sam with his hand still outstretched from the throw, with another ball waiting in his other hand. "You…saved me?" Campion said in amazement.

Sam flashed the rabbit a smile. "Yes, I did. Now can we please **get out of here**?!" The two rabbits nodded and followed the teen out the open door. As soon as they were outside, Sam pushed the door shut again before falling to the ground in relief. "Oh man, **that** was close! Great teamwork you two," he said, looking at the two rabbits standing by him.

Campion continued to glare at Sam, not being distracted by the small talk. "How…you…why?" he managed to say.

Sam chuckled at seeing the usually composed captain at a loss for words. "Long story short, I was sent by Prince Rainbow to assist Hazel's warren. Or if you were asking why I saved you, well, I think you're worth saving."

Campion shook his head, not believing what he was hearing. "No…no this doesn't make sense. You're not supposed to be like this, you're supposed to hate us and try to kill us."

"Says who?"

"Woundwort."

Sam chuckled. "He lies about a lot of things. Not all humans are bad, I promise."

Campion's confused look was replaced with an angry one. "Don't speak that way about my chief! You have no idea what he's done for us."

"Like what," Sam retorted, "tortured the rabbits under his rule? Made them into slaves? You can't deny that there are plenty of unhappy rabbits there, Campion. When I was there, I could see it myself. Everyone is lifeless and hopeless, and you know about it. That's why you do your best to make it easier on everyone. Even though it's against what your chief has specifically demanded. You **know** he's in the wrong!"

"Be quiet!" Campion snapped. "You don't understand anything. Before General Woundwort came, Efrafa was nothing. We were merely food for the elil. But he changed all that. He made us great, he saved us!"

"But who's going to save you from him?" Hazel said quietly.

Before Campion could answer, they heard voices coming from both sides of them.

"Sounds like Vervain," Campion said.

"Hazel, can you hear them?" Sam said to the chief. "It's Glade and Fiver!"

"Well then," Campion said, making them turn back towards him. "It looks like this is where we part ways."

Hazel nodded. "Take care, Campion," then he hopped towards his brother's voice.

Campion was about to turn and go when Sam's voice stopped him. "Campion, I…"

"You saved my life in there," he interrupted, "I'll keep your secret. For now."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." He turned back into a rabbit and made to follow Hazel. "And Campion, think on what we said, won't you?" Campion kept his face emotionless as he turned and made his way to the patrol.

Sam followed Hazel and found Fiver, Glade, Bigwig, and surprisingly, Pipkin there waiting.

"Sam!" Pipkin and Glade cried. They ran forth to meet him, nuzzling their friend.

"Woah, what's wrong guys?" he said, shaking them off gently. "We weren't even gone for a day."

Pipkin was the one to answer. "Fiver had a vision! He said that you and Hazel were in terrible danger, so we rushed here as fast as we could. We were so worried about you!"

"So, what happened in there?" Glade asked, trying to sound like she hadn't been worried at all.

Sam and Hazel looked at each other. "We'll tell you on the way back," Hazel said. "I don't know about you Sam, but I'm exhausted."

Sam yawned. "Yeah, I would say that about describes me." With that, the group made their way back home.


	16. A Light in the Darkness

Chapter 15-A Light in the Darkness

It had been almost a week since the greenhouse incident, and things weren't getting much cheerier on Watership Down. Kehaar and Hannah had been keeping a watch on the surrounding area, and the reports were not good.

"Ya Hayzel, dere Efrafan patrols everyvere! Every time Kehaar go, find 'nother patrol! Saw ugly-bunny Vervain dis time."

"It's getting bad, Hazel," Hannah added. "I think some of the Efrafans are aware we're part of this warren. Kehaar and I have had to be careful not to lead them back here when we return from our flights."

Hazel shook his head hopelessly. "Thanks you two." He turned towards Sam, Bigwig, and Fiver, who were listening to the pairs report as well. "This isn't good. They don't show any signs of stopping."

"Then we just have to keep laying tricks for them," Fiver said determinedly. "There's no way they would be able to outsmart you Hazel."

"No, that isn't good enough," Hazel replied. "Even El-ahrairah only has so many tricks. We need to try something else. We cannot afford to lose…" The group followed Hazel's gaze towards his three still nameless kittens playing in another section of the Honeycomb.

"We won't." The rabbits turned towards Sam, who was lounging against the wall. "I told you guys already, we have an ace in the hole here. Campion **will** help us, it's just a matter of convincing him."

"Why do you keep pushing that Sam?" Bigwig asked, annoyed with the teen's persistence. "I'm telling you, he's the same as the others there. His only loyalty is to Efrafa."

"Exactly," Sam replied, still not rising, "it's to **Efrafa**, not Woundwort. All we have to do is convince him that Woundwort is bad for the warren, and there we go. Although considering how obvious it is, it would probably be more a matter of getting him to admit it, rather than convincing him."

"And what do you think of this Hazel?" the owsla captain asked.

Hazel stood silently for a few moments, lost in thought. "Are you sure Sam?" he asked suddenly. "Are you absolutely sure that he won't turn on us?"

Sam stood and moved closer to the group. "I know it, Hazel. Can you honestly say you didn't see at least a glimmer of goodness in him that night?" It did not have to be said that Sam was referring to the greenhouse. "Any other Efrafan soldier probably wouldn't have helped us. They might even have tried to fight us. He's the best chance we've got."

Hazel looked at Sam with eyes full of desperation. "Alright, Sam. I…I'll trust you with this. We'll try. But how are we going to get him to listen to us?"

Bigwig gave a gruff sigh. "If you're so intent on this foolishness, I think I might be able to help." 

* * *

Later that day, Sam, Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, and Glade exited the cave into Efrafan territory. They turned towards the bridge and crept through the grass, mindful of the sentries on the other side. Finding a good spot in the tree line across the river from the Efrafans, they sat and waited for Bigwig's plan to unfold. Bigwig had reasoned that since Campion was the Captain of Owsla, that it wouldn't be unthinkable for him to make daily checks to the outlying sentries. Kehaar was going to keep watch from a higher vantage point, and wait for Campion to visit the sentries on the bridge. Then Kehaar would dive and do whatever would be necessary to separate Campion from the sentries and herd him towards the Watership rabbits waiting on the other side.

"So tell me again why you insisted on coming along?" Sam asked Glade humorously as they were waiting for Campion to show up. "This is probably going to be pretty boring for a while, and possibly dangerous."

"I told you, Sam," she replied, "I joined the owsla to **do** something. Why would I just sit back at the warren when we're on such an important mission? Besides, if I wouldn't have come, I'm sure Bigwig would probably have had Hawkbit or Dandelion go, and Frith knows how much use **they** would be."

Sam chuckled, thinking about the other two soldiers. Hawkbit would have no doubt spent the entire trip griping, while Dandelion would find something or other to occupy himself, not truly focusing on the task at hand. "Alright," the teen conceded, "you have a good point. It's good to know I have someone dependable beside me."

The group saw Kehaar lift off and watched intently, Sam missing the small smile on Glade's face. The gull's distinctive cry rang through the air, followed by the surprised yells of the Efrafan soldiers.

"Get ready everyone," Hazel said tensely, "if everything goes according to plan, Kehaar should force Campion over the bridge. As soon as he's close enough, we surround him and…begin negotiations." The group watched and listened as the yelling faded, signifying that the sentries had run away. They waited as they heard wing beats getting closer, until finally they saw Campion run across the narrow expanse of intact bridge.

"Is that him?" Glade asked, having never seen the captain before.

Sam nodded. "That's him alright. Everyone ready? Go!" At Sam's command, the five broke cover and ran towards Campion. He was so surprised that he didn't even try and escape as they encircled him. "That's good, Kehaar," Sam yelled to the hovering gull, "we'll take it from here, thanks!"

"Good luck!" he replied before flying off.

Campion chuckled, drawing all attention to him. "Hah, to think Vervain was right. That gull **was** with you. I could have sworn he was going crazy. Now what's this all about? Decide I'm better off dead and come back to finish the job? Or have you come to spout more insults about my chief?"

Hazel stepped forward. "We want to help you open your eyes. To see the cruelties that you try and ignore every day. We want to meet you later tonight at the clearing in the woods. Do you know where I mean?"

"I know the place," Campion said suspiciously. "What makes you think I won't just show up with a whole patrol and take you all prisoner?"

"Because," Sam said, taking the floor, "I just know. Deep inside, you're aware of the injustice that happens on a daily basis in that warren, and you're sick of it. You won't rat us out because you don't want to lose the one chance you might ever have of restoring Efrafa to the way it should be."

Campion smirked. "Confident words from someone who needs hrair rabbits just to control me, and a doe at that."

Sam smiled at him. "Well, we had to be sure you wouldn't do anything foolish, like attack, or try and run. We did what was necessary."

"Is that all?" Campion asked.

Sam nodded his head, keeping his eyes locked with Campion's. "Yeah, you're good to go. Let him by, guys." Glade and Fiver, the two behind Campion, nodded and parted, letting the captain leave.

He hopped to the bridge and looked as if he was about to leave, when he turned back. "I…didn't get a chance to ask before. How's Primrose doing?"

"She's doing well," Hazel said. "She's happy at our warren, though she does mention you occasionally. She says you might be the only good one in the owsla."

Campion's ears sagged. "Right then." That was all he said before he hopped across the bridge and out of sight.

Sam nodded to the other. "Alright, let's got out of here before more Efrafans show up." They agreed and headed back to the cave to plan for that night. 

* * *

Later that day, the group was in the warren, planning for the meeting that night.

"How do we **know** Hazel?" Bigwig said, still distrustful of Campion. "How can we be so sure that he won't betray us? I still wouldn't put it past him."

Hazel sat, wracked with indecision. "What do you think, Sam? How far can we really trust him?"

"Well," Sam said, "I think we'd be fine trusting him. You can tell he was interested in what we were saying. I really don't think he would waste this chance. But if Bigwig thinks we should be careful, then I'll respect that."

"Hmph, about bloody time," Bigwig said quietly.

Sam continued, ignoring his interruption. "I'll go out and meet him first, while the rest of you hide in the bushes in case something goes wrong."

"No!" Sam was surprised at the word said simultaneously by his friends.

Hazel was the first to respond. "You will not, Sam. You've already gotten injured for me once, I won't let it happen again."

"If you think I would cower in the bushes while a **human** fights my battles for me, you're sadly mistaken," Bigwig said in a humorous tone.

"Even I wouldn't allow that," Fiver said. "I might not be a great fighter, but there's no way I would let you do something so risky on your own."

Glade nodded her head. "They've about covered it by this point. We're your friends Sam, we're not going to let you go alone."

"I…alright," Sam said. He had no argument against such words. "Thanks, you guys. I guess it's settled then: we'll meet him as a team."

"I want to come!" They swung their heads around at Pipkin's voice. The little buck was bouncing excitedly as he moved closer. "Please please **please**, let me come! I want to help you!"

Sam and Hazel looked at each other, each willing the other one to say no. "Actually," their heads turned back at the sound of another new voice, "we were both hoping to come." Hazel was already shaking his head before Primrose came around the corner.

"No…no neither one of you should come," Hazel said, trying to discourage his mate. "This could be very dangerous. We're not entirely sure that Campion will honor the plan we made. What if he comes with others? I don't…I don't know if I'll be able to protect you."

"Hazel please," she said, moving closer to him. "I just want to see him again, to see if he's well. Sometimes it felt like we were the only thing keeping each other sane." Then she gave a sly look, "And besides, you'll stand a much better chance of getting him to see the truth if I ask. He always did have a soft spot for me."

"Oh really?" Hazel said, jealously coloring his voice.

"Alright, alright," Sam said before their discussion got out of hand, "you two can come with, for a while. We'll leave you at the entrance to the cave, then come get you later if the coast is clear. Does that sound good?"

"Yes! Thank you Sam!" Pipkin said, nuzzling his friend in the side.

Primrose nodded, a light smile on her face. "Yes, I believe that will work out very well. If Hazel agrees, that is."

Hazel looked between Sam and Primrose, finding insisting looks on both their faces. "Alright," he conceded, "you can come. But you **stay** in the cave until we're sure it's safe."

"Oh course dear," she said, rubbing up against him, "we'll stay safe. Come get me when you're ready to leave, alright?" Hazel nodded dumbly as she walked away.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Sam broke out in laughter. "Wow, Hazel," he said when he caught his breath, "I didn't realize how wrapped around her finger you were."

"Her what?"

"Oh, I know what that is!" Pipkin said. "It's one of the things on a hand, right Sam?"

The teen chuckled. "See? Pipkin gets it." 

* * *

Later that night, Sam and the others were waiting in a clearing lit by a full moon in the woods just outside Efrafan territory. They faced the direction they knew Campion would be coming from, trying to see into the darkness of the enclosed trees. They weren't waiting long before they heard footsteps. Sam and Bigwig immediately dropped into fighting stances in case it was elil, but immediately relaxed when they saw Campion enter the light in the clearing.

"Campion," Hazel said as he approached the Efrafan, "thank you for coming. Thank you giving us a chance."

Campion tried to keep a stony exterior as he faced Hazel, but eventually he broke into a look of self doubt. His ears drooped and his posture slumped, Sam had never seen the Efrafan captain look so unsure. He responded hesitantly. "I…I thought a lot about what you said. About what the Gener- what **Woundwort** does. It isn't right. I think-"

"Ah-hah!"

The group jumped as a new voice rang though the night air: Vervain's voice. They quickly closed into a circle as Efrafan soldiers slowly came out of the woods, surrounding them. Hazel and Sam gently pushed Fiver into the middle of the circle and away from any fighting as Bigwig had to restrain himself from jumping Campion right then and there.

"You tricked us!" he yelled in hatred. "After everything we've said, after Hazel and Sam saved you, you still lied to us!"

Sam's eyes widened in alarm at the use of his human name. He nudged Bigwig roughly. "Shut up!" he whispered fiercely.

Campion stood in the middle of the two circles looking baffled. He spoke with authority in his voice, his hesitation completely forgotten. "Vervain, what are you doing here?"

"The General sent me, Campion," the other rabbit replied, mockingly. "He knew you were up to no good, so he sent us out to…make sure you didn't do anything foolish. How lucky that we seem to have stumbled upon the outsiders! And look: there's their chief and the little mystic, oh and the intruders to our owsla as well. What a lucky day."

Campion responded with a desperate tone in his voice. "You don't belong here Vervain. Just go back to the warren, we'll sort this out later."

"Oh I think not Campion. You see, we're under orders to bring in any outsider we may encounter tonight, along with any sympathizers," he spat the last word as an insult.

"Don't make me fight you, Vervain," Campion said, lowering into a fighting stance and backing towards the Watership Down rabbits.

Vervain shook his head, looking for a moment as if he felt true regret for what he was about to do. "Fine then. Owsla! Get them!"

"This way, follow me!" Campion yelled to the Watership rabbits. He lunged for Vervain and bowled the smaller rabbit over before lashing out with his back legs and sending another Efrafan flying. The group from Watership Down took advantage of the hole Campion had punched in the Efrafan lines, sprinting after him as quickly as they could. While he was running, Sam "accidentally" stomped on Vervain's gut, eliciting a satisfying grunt from the cruel rabbit.

Campion led them away from Efrafa, towards the farmer's field they had used to travel there over land. Although Sam could still hear Efrafan pursuit, the sound was fading away as their group proved to be too fast to keep up with. They ran towards a tractor sitting in the field, hoping that the machine would be a good hiding place and would also mask their scent.

After spending a few tense minutes waiting in which they could hear the patrols voices getting closer they eventually started to fade as they lost the trail. "Alright," Campion said, peeking out from behind the tractor, "they're gone. Vervain never was a good tracker."

"Lucky for us that we got away with such little trouble," Bigwig said with suspicion.

"I didn't lead them there, Bigwig. I swear," Campion protested.

"And what's the word of an Efrafan worth?" he retorted. "Not very much, I'd say."

Campion was at a loss. "I…Hazel! Sunflower!" he said suddenly, "what do you two have to say? You were the ones pushing for peace, make him see I didn't do this!"

Hazel and Sam exchanged similar looks. "I don't…know, Campion," Hazel said slowly. "You understand what this looks like. What do you think Sam?"

Sam stood in silence while he looked at Campion. He saw the desperation in his face. But even more, he saw something else: fear. Sam saw a rabbit that just took a huge gamble, turning on his comrades to try and make things right. There was only one appropriate response. "I believe you."

Campion looked up in hope. "You…you do?"

Sam nodded. "I do, Campion. I know we can trust you." He walked over and stood next to the surprised captain, then faced his companions with an imploring look on his face.

Glade moved to Sam's side. "I trust you, Sam. Time will tell with Campion, but if you think we should believe in him, I trust you."

"I sense honesty from you Campion," Fiver said, moving with the others. "Honesty, and suffering. If we come out on top of all of this, we should have a long talk. It feels like you need it."

Campion was almost speechless at the show of support. "We…?"

Hazel chuckled and turned to Bigwig. "I've come far enough to know to trust my brother with these things. Bigwig?"

The Watership Down captain looked between his friends in exasperation. "Fine," he said at last, "if the rest of you insist, who am I to refuse? Welcome to the group, Campion."

"Thank you, all of you. I can't begin to tell you what a relief this is. There's finally a chance to stop Woundwort."

"And we will," Hazel said with a strong voice, "we can stop him together. He'll never know what hit him."

"So what's our **plan**?" Sam asked. "Do we actually have any idea where we're going from this point, or are we just playing it by ear?"

"By ear?" Campion asked, confused.

"Oh sorry, it means just go with the flow, deal with things as they come up."

"You get used to that," Glade said with a chuckle. "Sam says weird things all the time, we just kind of ignore it by this point."

"We can make plans once we're safely back at the warren," Hazel said. "Will you come with us, Campion?"

The rest looked at him expectantly and were surprised when he shook his head. "I don't think so, Hazel. I can be of much more use to you in Efrafa. It will be no problem convincing Woundwort that Vervain is lying. Or crazy. Or whatever else."

"Won't that be dangerous though?" Fiver asked. "What if Woundwort finds out the truth?"

"He won't, I swear. Woundwort has always found me more trustworthy than Vervain and I can't imagine he'd change his thinking now."

Hazel nodded in understanding. "If you think that you'll be alright, then stay. But you should at least know where to find us if anything goes wrong."

"No!" Campion said quickly. "I…I'd rather not know the location of your warren. **If** Woundwort were to ever find out what I'm doing, I'd rather not have any information to give him. It would be best to set up a meeting place."

"Did you have something in mind?"

Campion nodded. "I did, actually. Near the clearing where we met, there's a tree with a large fork in it. We can meet there."

Hazel nodded. "We'll discuss that later. Right now, there's someone that you'd probably like to see."

Campion was about to respond when suddenly, they heard something approach them rapidly through the grass. The group wheeled about to where the noise was coming from, and were surprised to see Primrose burst out of the grass. She was out of breath and had a few scratches on her body, including one on her hind leg that was still bleeding slightly. She stopped upon seeing all the rabbits assembled.

"Hazel?" she said weakly. "Oh thank Frith."

"Primrose!" Hazel hurried over to his mate, fraught with worry. "What happened to you? Are you alright?"

It was a moment before she caught her breath. She finally answered in a near hysterical voice. "They took him, Hazel! The Efrafans took Pipkin! I tried to help, I did, but there were so many…"

"Primrose," Campion said, drawing her attention to the captain for the first time.

"Campion?"

"Tell us what happened," he continued, "tell us everything."

She nodded. "Pipkin and I were waiting in the-" she glanced at Campion, unsure of whether or not to mention the cave. "In the place you left us. You had been gone a long time, and we were starting to get worried that maybe something had happened. So even though we knew it wasn't really a good idea, we went outside to look for you. I knew where the clearing was, so we went there, making sure to stay hidden. We heard voices and thought it was you, until I heard someone I recognized. I heard Vervain. I tried to stop Pipkin, but it was too late. They saw him, and they were on us. We tried to fight back, but it was hrair against two." Tears began to leak out of her eyes as she spoke. "I looked and saw that Pipkin was pinned and the rest of them were slowly approaching me. I…I ran, Hazel. I just ran and left Pipkin there." She ended her story there, unable to continue.

Hazel nuzzled her, trying to calm her down. "It's alright, Primrose. You wouldn't have stood a chance. You had to run. We **will** get Pipkin back, don't worry."

"Then what are we waiting for?" The group looked at Sam, for he was the one who spoke. "Let's go after them now, before they get back to the warren. It's our best shot of getting him back."

"Actually, we agree on this one, Sam," Bigwig said. "If we can surprise them before they make it back over the bridge, we might have a chance."

"I don't think Primrose is well enough to travel that fast," Hazel protested.

Bigwig nodded. "Alright Hazel, you stay with her and try and get her back to the warren. The rest of us will go."

"No Hazel, go with them," Primrose said. "I'll be fine on my own, it's not far, I can make it."

"But-"

"I'll go with her, Hazel," Fiver volunteered. "I wouldn't be much use in a fight anyway, I can keep her safe."

Hazel looked at his mates imploring face. "Alright," he said at last, "you two go, and we'll be back as soon as we can."

They touched noses before the group quickly made their way to the bridge, intent on catching the patrol unaware when they tried to cross. They crouched in the bushes, waiting, when suddenly a voice rang out in the night.

"Attention outsiders!" They squinted their eyes and managed to make out the shape of Vervain sitting on one of the rails of the stone bridge. "I know you're out there! We have captured your rabbit, the one called Pipkin. If you want to see him alive, Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, and Sunflower must surrender themselves to Efrafa! We will meet on the night of the full moon in the same clearing we encountered you tonight." They all looked at the moon above them. It was three, maybe four days from being full. "If you do not show up, we will kill him! Make your choice, outsiders!" He hoped down and returned to Efrafa.

"No…" Sam said with hopelessness.

"Let's go," Bigwig said, "there's nothing more we can do tonight." They nodded and followed the river, stopping before they came within sight of the cave entrance.

"I think this is where we part ways, Campion," Hazel said to the captain. "We'll let you know what we come up with for Pipkin. Give us a bit of time, we'll come up with something to rescue him. Let's meet on the night before the exchange is supposed to happen."

"I understand," Campion said. "In the meantime, I'll do what I can to keep Pipkin safe."

Hazel nodded and the Watership rabbits started toward the cave. "Bigwig," Campion said, "would you help me with something?" Bigwig stayed behind while the other walked away. Out of curiosity, Sam hung back just enough to hear what they were saying.

"What do you need?" Bigwig asked.

"I need your help to make it look like I escaped your capture."

"What do you mean?" Bigwig replied. "Can't you just say you ran?"

"Could **you** escape from that many rabbits with no injuries?"

"You mean you want me to-" Bigwig said, but was cut short.

"You know it's the only way."

Bigwig responded in a pitying voice. "I'll make it quick, Campion."

Sam ran and joined the others as a muffled yell of pain could be heard from Campion as Bigwig delivered the injuries to match his story. 

* * *

Later that night, the rabbits and Sam had returned to the warren. The kittens were worried when they saw the condition of their mother, but were easily calmed with a few soothing words from Primrose. They were snuggled up against her when one of them noticed something.

"Marli," she said softly, "where's Pipkin?"

The other rabbits stared sadly at one another. "He's…just taking a vacation guys," Sam said quickly. "He's going to be gone for a few days, but he'll be back soon, I promise." The kittens nodded and fell asleep against Primrose. Hazel and the other quietly made their way out of the burrow.

"We have to think of a way to get Pipkin back," Hazel said as they walked outside. "We can't leave him in Efrafa."

"Well of course we can't, Hazel," Bigwig said, hiding his worry beneath a layer of sarcasm, "but that won't exactly be easy. How do we get to him? I doubt sneaking in there again would be an option."

Hazel lowered his head in thought. "It is quite the problem. Any ideas Sam?"

"I don't know. I'm trying to remember how you did it in the stories, but it's kinda been a while. I mean, I've been here for a few months at least, and even before that I hadn't watched the show, er, heard the stories since before my last year of school."

The two rabbits just stared at him in confusion.

Sam smiled sadly. "Long story short, I barely remember what happens next. I think my future knowledge has come to an end."

"Who cares?" Bigwig said bluntly, surprising the teen. "It doesn't matter. We've gone through a lot before you came along, we'll be alright. And **you're** still here to help. We'll come up with a plan on our own terms."

Sam cracked a determined smile. "Damn right! We'll figure something out, we always do." He turned and stared in the direction of Efrafa. "We'll save you buddy. I promise." 

* * *

In his burrow in Efrafa, Campion lay on the floor, still bleeding from a number of the wounds that Bigwig had given him. He raised his head weakly as General Woundwort entered his burrow. "Hello…General…" he said weakly.

"Campion," Woundwort responded in an even tone, "Vervain has been telling me some interesting things. He says you're a traitor to Efrafa. How do you respond to these accusations?"

Campion shook his head. "It isn't true sir. I…I tried to get them to show me their warren. I hoped that if I was able to convince them that I had turned against you, that they would lead me right there. I would have worked, if only Vervain hadn't shown up. We ran, but they didn't trust me after that. I barely escaped with my life."

"I **sent** Vervain, Campion," Woundwort said, stomping the ground in anger. "I commanded him to follow you because you had been acting odd these past few days. I commend you for your initiative, but you are never to try anything like this again unless I allow it, do I make myself clear?" By this point, his face was inches away from Campion's.

"Yes sir," Campion said as meekly as possible, "absolutely clear."

"Good," Woundwort said as he left the injured captain.

_Very good indeed,_ Campion thought to himself triumphantly. _I knew it would be easy to trick him. Now to find Pipkin…_


	17. Nighttime Rescue

Chapter 16-Nighttime Rescue

Pipkin woke with a start, the smells of an unfamiliar burrow hitting his nose. He panicked until he remembered what had happened, though remembering did not do much to calm him. He looked around the burrow that the Efrafans had thrown him in the night before. If it were not for the two bulky guards watching the entrance, the burrow would have seemed perfectly normal.

"Um, excuse me," Pipkin said quietly, approaching the guards, "could you tell me what I'm doing here? I would really like to leave please."

"Too bad!" a guard with a nasty scar across his face yelled back. "You're to stay here until General Woundwort wants you!"

"Which he does. Move."

The guards both jumped at the sudden appearance of Woundwort. With a glare from him, they made their way quickly down the passage and away from the little prisoner. One they were gone, Woundwort put on a kindly looking face and turned back to Pipkin.

"Hello Pipkin," he said in a softer voice than anyone in Efrafa had ever heard from him, "my name is General Woundwort. How are you doing today? Did you sleep well?"

Pipkin was confused by this treatment. From what he had heard, Woundwort was supposed to be incredibly cruel. He cautiously answered, "I…did, thank you. But I was wondering if you might let me go home? The others must be awfully worried."

"Of course you can go home," Woundwort responded good-naturedly. "Oh, but it can be very dangerous out there alone. I insist you have an escort. You can lead the way, and they'll follow to make sure you come to no harm."

Pipkin's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Um, thank you for the kind offer, but I'll be alright on my own. I know the way back, and I know how to fight."

Though annoyance was beginning to break though his façade, Woundwort kept a smile on his face. "I'm afraid I can't allow that. You either have to leave here with an escort, or you can't leave at all. But it's not so bad, there's plenty of food and no elil. You'll have a wonderful life in Efrafa!" _Those outsiders will never know what hit them, _Woundwort thought to himself, _if I can't get this runt to lead me to their warren, them I can at least turn him against them._

Pipkin, however, had other ideas. "No! You can't keep me here! I'll get out whether you like it or not!"

Woundwort sighed. "Alright, enough of this." He hit Pipkin hard, sending him into the wall. Before the little buck could get up, the General was standing over him with a paw heavy on his chest. "Now I'll try this again, **Pipkin**, will you tell me where your warren is?"

Though obviously frightened, Pipkin just shook his head.

"Why do you fight me?" Woundwort asked. "If you give into your fear and just tell me, your life will be much easier."

At his words, Pipkin's face changed from one of fear to pure determination. "I don't give in to fear. It's a lesson Bigwig taught me. He said that you can use fear to make you stronger as long as you don't let it overwhelm you. And yes, General, I do fear you, but I fear losing my friends much more."

Woundwort glared at the little buck. "Fine then, we have ways of making you tell us. Vervain!" Pipkin looked to the entrance of the burrow where Vervain walked in with a cruel look on his face. "You know what to do Vervain, make him talk." Woundwort removed his paw from Pipkin and exited the burrow.

"With pleasure, sire," Vervain said as he shot a sadistic smile at Pipkin.

Despite their extensive training, it took all the willpower the guards at the entrance had not to flinch as they heard screams of pain echo through the run.

(Line Break)

Meanwhile at Watership Down, Sam was sitting in a corner of the Honeycomb watching the cacophony before him. As it turned out, while the older members of the warren had been dealing with Cowslip and Efrafa, Pipkin had not been wasting his time: he had been making friends. Lots of friends. Once the word got out that Pipkin had been kidnapped, creatures of every kind flocked to the warren, asking to help. Sam saw mice, hedgehogs, squirrels, and even a bat sent as a representative of the rest of his clan. Hazel was standing on a pedestal at the front of the group trying to quiet the various squeaks and chattering that filled the warren. Sam saw him sigh and say something to Bigwig before the owsla captain moved to the front of the platform.

"Oi! Be quiet!" Bigwig's voice boomed throughout the Honeycomb, making all other noise die as the gathered animals turned their attention to the rabbits. "That's better. All yours, Hazel."

Hazel choked back a laugh as he took the floor again. "Thanks, Bigwig, and thank you all for coming. It's truly amazing to see what an impact Pipkin has had on everyone assembled. As of right now, we don't have a plan for getting him to safety. We ask that all species here leave one representative to help with the planning, and they will pass the plan along once we have it. And believe me, we will have a plan. Together, we can save Pipkin!" His speech was met with loud cheers from dozens of animals, followed by a large exodus, with only a handful left as Hazel had instructed.

Sam approached as Hazel began the planning meeting. "Thank you for your help everyone," Hazel said, "now let's work out how we're going to save Pipkin. Ah, Sunflower, do you have any ideas?"

Sam looked at the creatures assembled and found an immediate problem: he didn't know what half of them were. He told Hazel so and the chief began listing off the species gathered so fast that Sam could barely keep track of it all. Shrews, moles, voles, water rats, mice, bats. Hazel was about to explain what each of their strength was when Sam stopped him. "Ya know Hazel, maybe this part would be better done by you guys. I'm not really following all of what you're saying, and I would hate to screw this up just from a misunderstanding."

Hazel nodded his head, understanding. "Alright, if that's what you think is best. But what will you do?"

Sam flashed him a sly smile. "Don't worry. I'll be thinking of ways I can use my unique talents to help out." Hazel smiled knowingly and granted him leave to go.

Sam walked outside and sat close to the tree, trying to ignore the worry for Pipkin that had been plaguing him for the past few days at bay while we thought. _So, how do I do this,_ he thought to himself. _Maybe I should take a trip down to the farm? They would probably have stuff to deter rabbits. Oh, but it would probably be lethal stuff, and I don't really want to __**kill**__ them. At least, not if I can avoid it._ Though he had fought rabbits before, the thought of killing one repulsed him as much as if he were talking about a human. _Hm, how about…leg snares? Hey, that could work! And I know just where to get some too._

Stopping only to tell the first rabbit he saw, which happened to be Clover, that he would be gone for a while, Sam set off towards Cowslip's warren. He wasn't walking long when he sensed someone following him. Almost sure he knew who it was, Sam broke into a sprint and leapt into some bushes, hiding from his pursuer. He saw paws stop in front of his hiding place and he jumped out, surprising the other rabbit as she fell to the ground. Sam chuckled before he spoke, "I knew it was you, Glade."

She lay on the ground looking up at Sam. "How did you know I was following you?"

"I just kind of assumed," he said as he helped her up. "You tend to follow me everywhere."

Her ears drooped at his statement. "Oh, I'm sorry Sam."

Realizing that his words sounded harsher than he had intended, Sam quickly added, "It's not a bad thing! It feels good to know that somebody cares enough to watch out for me. And come on, you're my best friend here. There's no one else I'd rather have follow me around."

Glade just smiled back. "I thought you could use some company. You've been really down the past few days."

"I just feel bad about Pipkin getting captured. I'm really worried about him. How do we know that they're going to hold up their end of the bargain? There's only so much Campion can do."

Glade lowered her head. "We just have to hope Sam. Even though he's young, Pipkin is strong. I know he'll make it through. The only thing we can do is be ready to save him when the time comes. Which reminds me, where are we going?"

"Cowslip's warren. I'm going to take some of their snares to use against the Efrafans in a couple days." Glade froze when he said that. Sam looked back to see an appalled look on her face. "No no," he said quickly, "not to kill them, I'm going to lay the snares low so that only their feet get caught."

Glade released a deep breath. "Oh thank Frith, Sam. I thought you meant to try and kill them all."

Sam shuddered at the thought. "Oh God no. I would never do that. It's not like the Efrafans are evil, they're just following the orders of a misguided leader. They don't deserve that."

Glade nodded and the two continued on their way to Cowslip's warren. As they walked, Sam felt a small measure of pride that he actually knew where he was going. He would need to thank Fiver and Glade again for their help. And Holly too, he supposed. It wasn't long before Sam knew they were close to the warren. He stopped and turned to Glade.

"You know, it would probably be a lot easier if we didn't tell them we were here. I'd rather not have to deal with Cowslip again. And it's not like they're going to have any kind of sentries out, so as long as we stay out of sight of the warren, we'll be set."

Glade nodded. "Alright Sam, lead the way."

Sam turned to his human form in preparation for the work. Despite his rabbit body usually being more useful, his human form was still best at tackling human annoyances like snares. They walked around in the foliage as Sam collected every snare he found. They had made it almost half way around the warren and Sam was a bit annoyed. He had only found three snares so far, when before he would have found at least seven. Not that it was **bad** that there was less, but he really could have used them. He was broken out of his thoughts, however, when he heard a sudden rustling in the bushes to his left.

"Sunflower and…Glade was it? What are you doing out here? I sensed you out here and I was waiting for you to come to the warren but-"

The speech stopped as Sam saw a stunned Silverweed walk out of the bushes and stare at him. _Wow,_ Sam thought to himself, _this just gets better and better, doesn't it?_ Sam tried to get the mystic to come to his senses. "Uh, hi there Silverweed. Long time no see. How's it been?"

The mystic slowly shook his head as he muttered to himself, ignoring Sam's words. "…can't be true. A human? Can't be possible, they don't…humans just don't…"

"Um, Silverweed?"

"How is this possible?" Silverweed said suddenly. "You **are** Sunflower, I can sense it. You feel the same as you did when you and Fiver came last time. But what is this trickery? Why do you look like that? Is this some kind of mystic power I haven't yet seen?"

Sam shook his head quickly. "No Silverweed, it's me, it really is. I'm sorry we didn't tell you earlier. It's not exactly the thing we lead with when we're trying to get someone on our side." Sam told Silverweed about how he came to be there, explaining his powers, and his conversations with Prince Rainbow. He concluded, "…and so I'm just here to help however I can."

Silverweed hesitantly nodded. "I…think I understand. It **does** explain why I wasn't able to get inside your mind though: you have divine protection. But Sunflower, or **Sam** as it may be, you can understand, considering my background, that I may be a bit slow to trust a human."

Sam nodded his head sadly. "Yeah, I can understand. But I swear to you, I'm on your side. I'm doing everything I can to help them."

It was just then that Silverweed noticed that Sam was carrying snares behind him. "What do you plan to do with those?" he asked, suspicion and anger plain in his voice.

"It's not what you think! I just need them to hold up some enemies of ours for a while. I'm going to set them on the ground so that only their paws get caught. They're not going to die, I'm sure of it."

"Why do you need them?" Sam winced, hoping he wouldn't have to explain about Pipkin being captured. Silverweed scoffed after hearing Sam's tale. "Doing everything you can to help, eh? Must not be worth very much if you can't even keep them safe." Sam didn't have a response, and just lowered his head in guilt.

"How dare you!" Sam and Silverweed looked as Glade, shocked over the outburst. "He saved Clover and me. He and Bigwig managed to get Primrose out of Efrafa. If Sam hadn't intervened, the Black Rabbit might have taken our chief! He's done more for us than anyone else, and I will not stand by and let you belittle him over something that wasn't his fault!"

"Glade…"

"Alright." Sam looked back to Silverweed in surprise. "I…apologize, Sam. Clearly you are doing much more than I'm aware of, if such a pure-hearted rabbit would vouch for you. After all I've been through in this place, you would think I would have learned better than to let it cloud my judgment. Of course not all humans are bad. You're living proof of that. Will you forgive me?"

Sam was a little taken aback with Silverweed's formal tone. "Dude, you really need to loosen up. We're friends. Of course I forgive you."

"Friends," Silverweed said quietly, allowing a bit of humor in his voice, "such a foreign concept. But alright, Sam," he said with a smile," friends it is." Silverweed perked up suddenly. "Oh, I just remembered the reason I came out here to talk with you in the first place. Hickory and Marigold are ready to meet you. The rest still need some work, but they're coming along nicely. There are whispers of dissention beginning to crop up in the warren. But the two of them would like to meet you sooner so you can start teaching them how to live on the outside. When should I send them?"

Sam considered that. The meeting to save Pipkin was going to take place in two days, and even though Sam would have preferred to wait longer, he was constrained by the limited counting system of rabbits. "Can you send them our way in four days? Hopefully everything will be back to normal by then and we'll actually have some effort to spare teaching them."

Silverweed nodded. "Agreed, I'll let them know. Thank you Sam, and Glade. Now, I should get back to the warren before Cowslip misses me." He turned to go, then said over his shoulder, "Good-bye…friends." Then he disappeared.

Sam and Glade finished their circle around the warren, finding four more snares, bringing the total up to seven. As they were walking back to Watership Down, Sam still in his human form to carry the snares, he turned to Glade.

"Hey Glade," he said, "thanks for the help back there. With Silverweed I mean."

"I meant everything I said. We really do owe you a lot you know."

Sam chuckled. "Oh come on, it's no big deal."

Glade stopped in front of Sam and turned to face him. "Yes it is, Sam. You have done a lot for us, more then we remember sometimes. You've done so much for this warren, for me personally. Just…thank you, for being here." She said that as she nuzzled his face.

"Well, I sure don't plan on leaving soon."

(Line Break)

It was late evening when they returned to the warren. Sam stored the snares in a safe place in the woods and returned to rabbit form in case any other animals were still about. There were not, however. Just the rabbits at the top of the hill. Clover came over to them as they crested the hilltop.

"Where were you, Sam?" she asked. "Hazel and Bigwig have been looking all over for you. They're going to see Campion tonight and were going to see if you wanted to go."

"Absolutely," Sam said, "come on, Glade, let's go find them. Maybe they got a plan figured out too."

"Actually, I think I'll sit this one out," Glade said. "I'm not really the best planner, just let me know what you decide." Sam nodded and left. It didn't take long to find them, and soon the three were on their way through the cave. They exited close to the bridge and followed Hazel as he led the way towards the woods across the river from Efrafa.

"The meeting place should be this way," he said. "Campion said it was by the biggest tree in the woods, which is supposed to be pretty close to the clearing we met in two nights ago." They came out from the bushes to see a very large tree in front of them, even bigger than the beech tree at the top of the down. Campion soon stepped out from behind the tree.

"Hazel," he said in greeting, nodding his head to the chief.

"Hello, Campion," Hazel replied, "how has everything been? Is Pipkin well?"

"I'm sorry Hazel, I haven't been able to see him. Woundwort has him under heavy guard and nobody gets in except for Vervain and himself. And I have more bad news. I'm sure it should come as no surprise to you that Woundwort intends to double cross you. He plans on coming to the clearing personally, along with Vervain and myself. However, he's going to have three patrols sneak around the side and surround you and anyone you bring with. I hope you have a good plan."

Sam though furiously. _Three patrols…_ "Campion, is every patrol the same size? One leader and four others?" Campion nodded. "Hm, that's fifteen then."

"What's 'fifteen?'" Bigwig interjected.

Sam shook his head dismissively. "Don't worry about it Bigwig. Just let me worry about the logistics, alright?" He had tried teaching the rabbits numbers beyond just four, with no success. Pipkin did the best, remembering the number five for a grand total of maybe three minutes before it became "hrair" again. "Suffice to say, we're going to have to take out the majority of them. Hazel, what did you guys come up with while we were gone?"

"There were a few ideas," Hazel said. "We have a lot of animals capable of digging so that's probably going to be our best weapon. We can have them dig pitfalls underground so that when their owsla walks over them, they should be taken out long enough for us to get away. Darkling said he and the other bats can dive on anyone who gets by the holes."

Sam nodded. "That's good, we can work with that. I also grabbed a few snares from Cowslip's warren to catch feet. **Only** feet." He said that in response to Campion's suspicious looks.

"How can you be sure you'll only catch paws?" Campion asked.

Sam smiled before he answered. "I'm going to lay them on the ground. I don't know how Efrafa does things, but I haven't seen any of our owsla dragging their face on the ground when they're trying to sneak up on someone."

Campion growled lightly at the boy's sarcasm but nodded his head anyway. "Just be sure that's all you do. I may disagree with Woundwort, but that doesn't mean I'm alright with the slaughter of my owsla."

"I wouldn't do that. Campion," Sam said seriously, "I don't like the thought of pointless killing either. I swear, none of them will die."

"Alright then. Now, how are we going to do this?"

Sam considered carefully before answering. "Alright, here's my thought: Me, Hazel, Bigwig, and Fiver will be in the clearing waiting for you, Vervain, Woundwort, and Pipkin. We'll have a couple of pitfalls there to try and take the other two out. The majority of our efforts will be in the surrounding area. That's where we're going to dig most of the pitfalls and where I'm going to lay the snares. That should take most of the owsla out, but we'll have a few fighters of our own out there, just in case. We'll split the bats into three sections, one on each side, and one in the middle with us. Their job is to push the rabbits into our traps. Does that sound good?"

"And you **just** came up with that?" Bigwig asked in amazement. Sam nodded. "We might have to have a talk on tactics after this is all over. That's brilliant."

Sam smiled. "Thanks. So Campion, if you can make Woundwort and Vervain come in through that opening," he gestured to a clear break in the undergrowth, "we'll position the traps on the outside of that, making a safe path down the middle. It won't do any good if they discover what we have going on too soon."

Campion nodded. "Alright, I can do that. I should get back. I said I was doing a bit of late night patrolling and if I take any longer, they may come looking for me. Thank you Hazel, Bigwig, Sunflower."

"Be safe, Campion," Hazel said as he and Bigwig turned to go.

"Campion," Sam said as the other rabbits left, "just so you know, you can call me Sam if you want. That's my real name, I just made up the Sunflower thing because I needed a name for my rabbit form."

"I'd rather not," the captain replied. Sam cocked his head in a silent question. "I don't see it in you. You…have been a human, I've seen it, but it doesn't seem right. The name Sunflower fits you. Do you understand?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "Not really, but whatever floats your boat I guess. Take care, Campion."

"You as well…Sunflower."

(Line Break)

Two nights later, Sam sat with Hazel, Fiver, and Bigwig in the clearing where they were supposed to meet Woundwort. It had been a challenge, but with a lot of work in the past two days, they had managed to get all the traps ready. Sam had reasoned that Woundwort would send two patrols around one side and one to the other, so both sides were equipped to deal with two patrols-worth of rabbits. There had been a lot of coaxing to keep everyone digging enough to satisfy the boy, since the other animals were no better at counting than the rabbits. Sam had set out the snares and covered them each with a layer of fallen leaves. Splitting the bats up had been easy, with their leader, Darkling, being very accommodating. He had about twenty percent of them in the middle with the rest spread evenly along the other two sides. In the woods behind them were hiding members of their own owsla, ready to deal with any Efrafans that got through the trap field. Sam sat in the clearing feeling relatively confident.

They were ready.

There was movement in the clearing they had directed Campion to come through just as Sam felt some raindrops hit his head. _Great,_ he though in annoyance, _just what we need._ The rain increased until it was falling steadily. It was then that Campion came though the bushes, followed by the imposing form of General Woundwort. Sam assumed Vervain followed in the back with Pipkin. When Campion came into view, Sam saw a distinct change in his face. Where he was initially emotionless and serious, as soon as he saw them, his face filled with sadness. Sam worried at the sudden change in the usually stoic captain.

"Alright, Woundwort," Hazel yelled, "we're here. Where's Pipkin?"

"You fulfilled your part of the bargain," Woundwort's bass voice carried easily though the rain, "so we will fulfill ours. Vervain?"

The smaller rabbit stepped around his large chief. Through the rain, which was now falling heavily, Sam saw Vervain jerk his head, followed by something flying through the air. It landed about two feet away from them with a grunt.

It was Pipkin!

"Pipkin!" Sam yelled in worry. Pipkin had numerous bad looking scratches on his legs and sides, none of which looked cared for. Upon closer inspection, Sam found that he also had welts on his face, probably from multiple hits. His ears had scratches on them, and the left one was missing a large chunk of flesh. Sam felt anger boiling inside him.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hazel yelled angrily. "You said he wouldn't be harmed!"

Vervain chuckled darkly. "I believe I said, 'if you want to see him alive again.' He's alive, and you've seen him."

"Hazel…rah?" Sam and the other looked down as they heard Pipkin speak. He opened his eyes and smiled weakly. "I'm…alright, Hazel. I didn't tell them anything."

"Too bad you won't get a chance to catch up," Woundwort said. "Owsla! Get them!"

The tension was palpable as both groups of rabbits waited, but nothing happened. The three Efrafans, Campion included, looked around in confusion. Bigwig's chuckling brought their attention back to the Watership rabbits. "Nice try, now it's our turn. Darkling! Go!" His call was answered by a small fleet of bats diving down at the Efrafans. Campion gave a small chuckle, and jumped into Vervain, pretending to avoid the bats. They fell into a hole with Campion landing hard on Vervain. Woundwort didn't cower, and actually tried to attack some of them.

"We need to get Pipkin out of here while Woundwort's distracted," Fiver said.

Bigwig nodded. "You and Hazel do that, Sam and I will hold off Woundwort." They nodded and gently dragged Pipkin back towards where their soldiers were hiding. "You ready, Sunflower?" he asked, turning to the boy. Bigwig was taken aback by the pure rage on his face.

"Let's do this."

They heard what could only be described as a roar. They turned to see Woundwort barreling down on them. Bigwig answered with his own battle cry as he and Woundwort jumped at each other and locked in a grapple. While they were struggling, Sam snuck behind Woundwort and kicked out his leg, causing him to topple backwards and putting Bigwig on top. They struggled for only a couple of seconds until Woundwort threw Bigwig off of him with a loud yell. The Watership captain hit a tree and slumped to the ground, unconscious. Sam tried to attack the General before he regained his footing, but was easily thrown aside by the more experienced fighter. Sam landed hard and looked up to see Woundwort quickly closing on Bigwig, who was still out. Sam knew he wouldn't be able to get there in time.

Woundwort stood over the fallen rabbit and raised his paw to strike the final blow. Suddenly, he was blown off his feet and sent across the clearing, hitting a dead tree. He shook his head to regain his bearings, and saw a human standing in the middle of the clearing, glaring at him with a look of pure hatred. Before he could get a word out of his mouth, the human glanced up and threw another of those green balls, this time hitting the tree that Woundwort was still lying against. He heard a crack and looked up to see a mess of branches falling to meet him.

Sam looked on in satisfaction as a large amount of branches fell on Woundwort from the tree above. It was probably not enough to hurt the large rabbit, but was certainly enough to trap him. Sam began to walk towards the fallen general when he heard a gasp behind him. He turned and saw a rabbit he didn't recognize, quickly joined by more. They must have been the Efrafan soldiers that got out of the pitfalls and snares. Sam generated a green ball in each hand as he turned to face them. "Run," he told them in a threatening voice, "get out of here." They hesitated until he launched one of the balls at them. In a flash, they were gone.

"Come back here you cowards," Woundwort yelled after his retreating owsla, "humans are nothing to be feared, especially one so small!"

"Small or not," Sam said as he knelt by the pinned rabbit, "I was still enough to take you down. He pulled out his knife and held it gently by Woundwort's throat. The large rabbit froze, but strangely, had only rage on his face instead of fear as might be expected. "I told myself that you weren't evil. That you just needed to be shown the right way, and turned away from this cruelty. But after what you've done to Pipkin, for the sole purpose of finding and killing us, I see I was wrong. If you mess with my friends, you mess with me. Now, any last words?"

"No…Sam. Don't…do it."

Sam looked to his side to see Pipkin standing there on shaking legs. His eyes were pleading with Sam.

"Pipkin, it has to be done. Just look at what this monster did to you! He won't hesitate to do that to any of us. Or worse! He has to be stopped."

Pipkin shook his head, his voice gaining strength. "But not like this. Not when he's defenseless and can't fight back. That's what **he** does. Don't be him, Sam."

"He's right, Sam," Glade said as she stepped out of the woods next to Pipkin, moving to prop the smaller rabbit up. "This isn't you. Didn't you say that killing for no reason didn't appeal to you? We've already won this fight. There's no reason to continue this."

Sam looked at them in disbelief. "But he-" Then he stopped. Sam let their words sink in, and lowered the knife away from the still snarling General's throat. He bent down close to Woundwort's face and spoke quietly. "You're lucky, you evil bastard, that my friends have more grace than you. If it were up to me, you'd be dead right now. But listen carefully: if I didn't already have enough reasons to hate you with everything you've done to your people, this has clinched it. You don't hurt my friends and get away with it unpunished. I **will** kill you, so you can't do this to anyone else. Believe that."

He got up slowly and walked over to Bigwig and shook him a few times to awaken him. They walked over to Pipkin and Glade. "Let's go," Sam said as he gently picked Pipkin up, "let's get out of here." They nodded and followed Sam back towards the cave, counting on the rain to cover their tracks.

As Sam walked away, he failed to hear Woundwort's reply. "I'm ready for you, Messenger. Mark my words, things will be different this time."

(Line Break)

It wasn't long before everyone was back in the warren, wet and cold, but safe none the less. Blackberry was inspecting Pipkin to make sure none of his wounds were life threatening.

"They're not," Holly said sadly. As everyone looked at him in confusion, he continued, "In the…less peaceful times back in Sandleford, I've had to give many of those same wounds myself. They're meant to inflict pain, nothing more. They sting terribly and bleed a lot, but none are life threatening."

"They **tortured** him…" Sam said quietly to himself. Feeling his anger rise, he quickly turned and left the warren, preferring to be out in the fresh air, the rain having since cleared up. He paced furiously. _I should have done it,_ he thought to himself, _I should have ignored them and done it. The bastard had it coming!_ But he stopped as he remembered the looks on Glade's and Pipkin's faces: they were begging him to stop, they felt sadness at his anguish, but now Sam realized there was another emotion there. _They were scared of me…_

"Sam?"

He turned quickly and saw Glade standing a few feet away with a concerned look on her face. "Are you alright Sam? You left so quickly, and you looked so angry."

Sam closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, before he sat down, facing away from the warren and Glade. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I don't know what happened. I…seeing Pipkin like that just made me so **angry**. I…I almost went too far. You were right, you both were. That wasn't me. Thank you. Glade, for helping me."

Glade came closer and lay down next to Sam. "Sam, we're here for you whenever you need us. We told you this already, you don't need to do everything alone. You can do all these amazing things, but that doesn't mean you're perfect, and it doesn't mean you don't need help sometimes. Just…let us know."

"Thanks, Glade," Sam said as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders in a sitting hug. "You're the best."

"Yeah," she responded wryly, "I know."

"Glade! Sam!"

The two broke out of their peaceful moment to see Clover running towards them from the warren. "Come on you two," she said quickly, "you have to come back. Primrose has some wonderful news." They followed Clover back into the warren to find everyone gathered in the Honeycomb.

Hazel nodded to Primrose and she walked to the front of the group. "This was a hard night," she said. "But I believe that this proves that we can beat Efrafa, we're stronger than them. I have faith we will win this, I have faith in the future. It is this faith that allows me to feel confident in giving my kittens their names." Hazel nudged the three up towards their mother. Primrose gestured to the first one, a white doe. "My daughter, your name will be Snowdrop." She continued with the other doe, a light brown rabbit that got the name Gillia. Then came the buck. "For my son's name, I wish to honor a dear friend of mine. He was with me during my captivity in Efrafa, and I don't know that I would have made it here without him. My son, your name will be Blackavar."

Sam smiled and cheered with the rest of the rabbits at the conclusion of the Naming Ceremony. He liked the names chosen, but his gaze lingered over the newly dubbed Blackavar. _I'll do better this time,_ he thought to himself and to his deceased namesake. _I won't let anything happen to you. You will be a reminder to me, little one. A reminder to be more vigilant and do whatever I can to protect my friends. No matter how much of myself I have to give._


	18. Teaching the Sheltered

Chapter 17-Teaching the Sheltered

When Sam awoke the next morning, he wasn't in his burrow. Instead, he was in the dark area where he usually met Prince Rainbow. He turned around, looking for the deity. _Well, still as creepy and dark as ever._

"WE'RE IN **YOUR** HEAD, REMEMBER? IF YOU FIND IT CREEPY, THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM."

Sam turned to find Prince Rainbow floating behind him. "Okay, where the heck have you been? It's been, I don't know, it has to be close to three months now since I last saw you. You know, it would have been really nice to have some advice when we were infiltrating Efrafa. Or when I got **shot** for that matter. Not to mention all the stuff that happened just last night. Aren't you supposed to be watching out for me or something?" Prince Rainbow looked as if he was about to answer when Sam noticed something. "Hey, you don't really look so good. Are you alright?" Prince Rainbow did not look the same as he had when Sam last remembered seeing him. His face seemed as if it had aged, and his eyes looked tired. Even his cloak showed signs of aging. It was frayed at the edges and the colors were not as vibrant as they had been.

Prince Rainbow heaved a heavy sigh that resonated in the darkness. "I'M SORRY SAM, I'VE BEEN A LITTLE…PREOCCUPIED." Sam grew more concerned as even his voice had tinges of fatigue. "DESPITE WHAT YOU MIGHT THINK, I **HAVE** BEEN KEEPING AN EYE ON YOU; I JUST WASN'T IN A POSITION TO DO ANYTHING. THINGS ARE GETTING A BIT HECTIC."

"Hectic? Hectic how? What could cause you trouble?"

"IT'S NOT THE TIME FOR THAT YET. AND UNFORTUNATELY, I DON'T HAVE LONG TO STAY. I CAME TO TELL YOU TO BE CAREFUL. THERE **IS** A REASON YOU WERE BROUGHT HERE, AND IT'S FAST APPROACHING. HAVE CAUTION, SAM."

Hearing this, Sam grew more alarmed, almost beginning to panic. "Wait, what?! What are you talking about, what's coming?"

"THERE'S NO TIME SAM, I CAN'T STAY. GOOD LUCK, AND BE CAREFUL."

"Wait!" But it was too late, and Sam's vision began to darken.

* * *

Sam's eyes snapped open, finding himself in his familiar burrow, with Prince Rainbow nowhere to be seen. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog he felt. _What were you talking about, _he wondered to himself as he directed his gaze towards the sky, even though he was still in the warren. _What were you trying to warn me about? What's coming?_ Knowing he wasn't going to get any answers for the time being, Sam put the thoughts out of his head and went outside.

"Good morning Sam."

The boy looked to his right and saw Pipkin lying close to the tree. It had only been two days since his rescue from Efrafa, and even though he had been healing relatively quickly, he still could not move very fast, so he was ordered to stay close to the warren.

"Hey buddy," he said, approaching the small rabbit, "feeling any better today?"

With a laugh, Pipkin replied, "I told you Sam, you don't have to worry about me."

"And I told **you** that you can't stop me. I'm your friend, it's what I do."

(Flashback)

Sam sat in Pipkin's burrow, staring at him as he slept. It was late in the night and everyone else had already gone to sleep after the kittens' Naming Ceremony. But Sam had too much guilt running through his head for sleep to come. He blinked furiously to keep away the tears he felt building as he watched Pipkin's face occasionally grimace in pain, then go right back to peaceful sleep.

"I'm so sorry, Pipkin," he said quietly, "I'm sorry I let this happen. I should have known; I should have done more." He stared for a moment longer before he sighed and turned to leave.

"Sam?" He stopped and looked back, seeing Pipkin raise his head where he lay.

"Oh, Pipkin. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up. I was just…making sure you were doing alright."

Pipkin smiled. "Of course I am, Sam. I'm back on Watership Down with my friends. Why wouldn't I be alright?"

Sam laughed at the innocent question. "That's a great way of thinking about it. But you really should get some sleep. You won't get better by staying up all night."

"I didn't tell them anything," Pipkin said, ignoring Sam's words. "Every time they asked, no matter what they did, I didn't tell them anything. About us, about our home, nothing."

Sam was speechless as Pipkin's words ran through his head. He nuzzled Pipkin's face, being mindful of his injured ear. "I don't know if I could have done the same, Pipkin. You're a lot stronger than we thought."

Pipkin stood a bit taller with pride from the praise. "I know I'm not as strong as you or Bigwig, but I'm trying. And usually I can take care of myself, so you don't have to worry about me."

Sam chuckled. "Maybe not, but I'm still going to."

(End Flashback)

"Hey Sam," Pipkin said, snapping the boy out of his thoughts, "isn't that Strawberry? I think he's looking for you."

Sam turned and saw the large buck was, indeed, moving quickly to them. "Oh there you are, Sam," he called as he got closer. "I think I see them."

Sam quickly wracked his brain, trying to remember exactly who **they** were. "Sorry Strawberry, who are you talking about exactly?"

"Hickory and Marigold. You told Silverweed to send them to us today, remember?"

Sam mentally kicked himself. "Oh right! I totally forgot about that. Good thing I had you standing watch, Strawberry. Alright, let's grab Hazel and Bigwig and go meet them."

They found the two quickly and left down the hill in the direction of Cowslip's warren. They could see two rabbit shapes in the distance. As they closed, the shapes turned into two medium sized rabbits. Both were covered in almost yellow fur. The smaller one on the left called out in a feminine voice as they approached. "Strawberry! Is that really you?"

Strawberry ran a bit faster, pulling away from the others. "Oh Marigold and Hickory! It's so good to see the two of you. How have you been?"

"We've been worse, Strawberry," Hickory said. "With Silverweed's help, the others in the warren are finally starting to break out from their spell. They're starting to become responsive again, and Cowslip is having a harder time keeping control. Although I must admit, it is rather fun watching him struggle. But look at you Strawberry, you look so…strong! Life outside has been good to you."

Strawberry nodded his head at the compliment. "Thank you. But it wouldn't have been possible without my friends. Hickory and Marigold, I'd like you to meet my new chief, Hazel, and our Captain of Owsla, Bigwig."

"It's so good to meet you," Marigold said happily, "and thank you so much for helping us."

Hazel replied, "Of course. It would have been wrong of us not to."

Hickory noticed Sam sitting there as well. "Are you…you're Sunflower, right? Silverweed spoke very highly of you. He said it was because of you and…Fiver, I believe the name was, that he finally saw past all of Cowslip's lies."

Sam chuckled. "That was pretty much all Fiver; I didn't really do much. It's good to meet you though. I guess I'll be the first one to commend you on your bravery for choosing to stand up to Cowslip. The first step is always the hardest."

Marigold replied, "When Glade and Holly approached us, we knew we couldn't let this opportunity slip though our paws. This may be the only chance of getting out of that evil place. We couldn't **not** take it."

Bigwig, growing bored of the idle conversation, decided to jump in. "Right. Well then, let's get to the down and start this teaching, shall we?"

* * *

Over the course of the next two weeks, Hickory and Marigold snuck away any chance they could get for more teaching. Hazel and Bigwig chose a variety of rabbits to teach them everything they needed to know.

Basic survival skills came from Dandelion, Hawkbit, and Strawberry. The former two had, over the course of their time on Watership Down, become experts of the surrounding area. Strawberry was there to help them make a smooth transition from a life of safety and squalor to a harder, but better, natural life. Hawkbit taught them what types of plants were good to eat, and which ones to avoid. Dandelion was in charge of teaching them how the different types of elil hunted, and what the best avoidance techniques were for each. They were also taught basic tracking, for safety.

They split up for a few of their teaching sessions. Hickory went with Bigwig, Hazel, and Sam, while Marigold stayed with Blackberry and Primrose. Marigold was taught how to build and maintain a warren. Even though the Watership Down rabbits planned to settle them in Primrose's old home of Redstone, the new members still needed to know how to dig and repair tunnels. In addition Primrose taught them how to raise a family, since they were already established mates and would almost certainly be among the first to have kittens.

While the does taught Primrose, Bigwig and Sam taught Hickory how to fight. It was the same regimen Sam had done his first day in the owsla. After their fighting lesson, which left Hickory breathless, Hazel asked something he had been wondering about since they began.

"So Hickory," he began, "have you given any thought to who's going to be chief once you finally escape from Cowslip?"

"We have to get there first," Hickory replied, trying to catch his breath. "Do we really even need a chief?"

"I would say so," Sam said. "We certainly do. We'd fall apart if we didn't have Hazel."

"It's the chief's job to hold the rabbits of a warren together," Bigwig continued. "If something goes wrong, rabbits need someone to look to that can find solutions to their problems. We all respect Hazel-rah, and that respect inspires us follow his orders."

Hazel fidgeted with embarrassment. "Anyway," he said quickly, cutting them off, "you should give some thought about who's going to be chief. Personally, I think you'd be perfect for it."

"Me?!" Hickory exclaimed. "Oh no, I couldn't be a chief. I don't know how to lead others, I don't know how to solve their problems. I'm just not cut out for it."

Sam smiled at his response. "You sound like Hazel did when he realized he was suddenly our chief."

"It will probably happen to you the same way it happened to me," Hazel said. "You and Marigold will be the ones teaching and leading them, so naturally they'll come to you with questions. And when you get settled in, they'll still come to you. Eventually someone will address you as 'Hickory-rah' and before you realize what has happened, everyone will suddenly be calling you the chief. I'd say you can count on it."

"But, but," Hickory stuttered, clearly not thrilled at the prospect of being a leader, "how do I even **be** a chief? What does a chief do?"

Hazel put on one of his trademark kind faces as he answered. "You just be yourself. There are many who think being a chief is all about having power over others, but that isn't true. A truly good leader will sacrifice for his warren every time. A chief must put his subjects above himself and think of their wellbeing before his own. You're already doing that. It would be so easy for the two of you to just stay here, but you don't do that. You go back. You may not realize it, but by learning from us and taking your knowledge back to that evil place, so you can teach it to the others, you are giving of yourselves to them."

Hickory was silent as he took in Hazel's words. "I…think I understand. I still don't want to be the chief, but if it ends up happening, I'll do the best I can for them. The others are trusting us to lead them out of that place and get established out here, and I'll do whatever I can to help them.

Hazel smiled. "Good to hear it."

* * *

A few days later, Sam relaxed with Glade and Pipkin at the top of the hill. Pipkin's injuries were nearly healed; only his ears were still tender. Suddenly, Hawkbit came running over the crest of hill, and met them, breathless.

"H-Hazel-rah, Bigwig, come quick!"

Everyone looked in alarm at the panic in his voice. The two quickly ran over to him, followed by Sam and Glade. "Calm down Hawkbit," Hazel said, "what's the matter?"

"It's Hickory, he's trapped by hrududil! We have to go help him, come on!" And without waiting for any reply from those listening, Hawkbit turned and began running back the way he came. Hazel, Bigwig, Sam, and Glade looked at each other and shrugged, then followed him.

Sam went over the map in his head and figured they were heading towards Redstone, roughly east of the warren. With the farm and Cowslip's warren being in a westward direction, and Efrafa to the north, Sam had not traveled far in that direction, so it was not long before he no longer recognized his surroundings. He followed Hawkbit as he led the way, and soon they came to a bridge spanning a river. Unlike the bridge at Efrafa, this one was well kept: the white marble was clean and free of any cracks or wear. They crossed the bridge and ran until Sam began to hear a familiar sound: car engines. Hawkbit slowed down until he was slowly creeping through the bushes, prompting the others to do the same. They went along until they came to Dandelion and Marigold. Both had their eyes locked on whatever was on the other side of the bushes. Sam peeked out from his cover and saw what the problem was: Hickory stood on the center island of a small, two lane roundabout. He shook his head, hoping there was more to the problem before he turned to Hawkbit.

"So…I don't really see what the issue is. Just wait for a break in the cars and go."

"What are you talking about?" Hawkbit asked with anxiety in his voice. "Those things won't hesitate to crush us, I've seen them do it!"

Their conversation snapped Dandelion and Marigold out of their trance. Marigold especially was happy to see them. "Oh thank Frith you're here! The hrududil have Hickory trapped over there. What are we going to do?"

Sam shook his head, warring between laughing and annoyance at what he saw as needless caution. "Just go get him, it's really not that hard."

"But the hrududil…"

Sam sighed in annoyance before leaving the bushes and approaching the street. He waited for an opening between the cars, and when one came, he sprinted across the road to the island in the middle. When he climbed over the curb, he found Hickory wide eyed and shaking with fright.

"Hey, Hickory," Sam said, shaking the bucks shoulder, "snap out of it. Let's get you out of here; Marigold is really worried."

"S-Sunflower?" Hickory shook his head like he was breaking out of a spell. When he saw Sam sitting next to him, Hickory almost tackled him with joy and relief. "Thank Frith! I don't know what happened. Marigold and I were practicing hiding from Hawkbit and Dandelion, who were supposed to be elil. I broke through some bushes and suddenly there were hrududil everywhere! I ran and ran, and somehow ended up here. And now…I-I just don't know what to do."

"The first thing you're going to do is to calm down," Sam responded soothingly. "Now listen Hickory, let's just use this as another lesson. If you're going to be the new chief of Redstone, you're going to have to learn to keep a level head. What would you do if it was one of your friends from Cowslip's warren? Stand here scared and leave them?"

"I…no. No! I would do whatever it took to help them."

Sam nodded encouragingly. "That's good. Now if you could do it for others, can't you do it for yourself? Come over this way." Sam moved to the side of the road, with Hickory slowly following. "Alright, now you know this is a road...er…hrududu path, right?" Hickory nodded. "This is a special one, they're only going to be traveling in one direction." Sam gestured to how the cars only came from their left side. "So watch that direction. As soon as you see a hole between two of them, sprint for the other side."

Hickory nodded and watched. "Ready?"Hickory asked, seeing a large space between two cars. Sam nodded. "Go!" Hickory broke across the asphalt with Sam right beside him. The others ran to greet them as they closed on the bushes, Marigold sprinting to Hickory's side.

"Are you two alright?" Hazel asked with concern.

Hickory replied, "We are, Hazel, thanks to Sunflower. I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't been here."

Sam chuckled. "You'd still be standing on the island I would think. On the plus side though, it looks like I can contribute to your instruction."

"What do you mean?"

Sam gestured to a road sign. It read "Kingsclere, 3 miles."

"That sign means that there's a town in that direction. A town this close to your warren means that you'll have to be more careful of roads like this one."

Marigold considered his words before she asked, "How do you know so much about human warrens?"

Sam's eyes widened momentarily. "I…used to live near one myself. I wasn't always with the rest of these guys; I was from another warren before. I actually got to Watership Down just before the rest of them did, isn't that right?"

Hazel and the other Watership rabbits began nodding their heads and mumbling agreement. "It gave us quite a scare actually," Dandelion said. "We got to the place that Fiver kept describing as a safe paradise, and here's this big lug sleeping in the warren already."

Sam chuckled, "Yeah, and you guys jumped me, remember that?"

"**I** jumped you," Bigwig said with a smirk. "Twice actually. Not that you could blame me."

"Not at the time, no," Sam conceded.

Hickory shook his head. "Why would you attack Sunflower? He doesn't look scary at all."

"Seeing him can be a surprise if you're not ready," Hawkbit said, holding in laughter.

"Alright you guys, we gotta get back," Sam said. "It's getting pretty late and we don't want Cowslip to find out that you guys are missing. It would be a shame for this plan to go south **now**."

Everyone agreed and they began traveling back to Watership Down. "So," Hazel said to Dandelion and Hawkbit, "how did these two do with their lessons today?"

"Quite well," Dandelion replied, "they had completely lost us before Marigold started yelling about Hickory being trapped. I would say they're about ready."

Hazel nodded. "That's good to hear. So aside from whatever Sunflower has to tell you about humans, it sounds like you're ready to leave and get settled at Redstone."

"Actually," Sam said, "I can do that on the way back. It's all just ideas anyway; you can't really practice, you just have to **know**."

Sam spent the rest of the time explaining the hazards that could come about from living in such close proximity to a busy road. He explained to Marigold, like he had to Hickory, about how to safely cross a road, making sure to point out that there are roads where cars come from both sides. He also warned them about the possibility of garbage that might be thrown from the cars, and how it would be safest to just avoid it so they didn't get sick.

The group arrived back at Watership Down and bade farewell to Hickory and Marigold, who continued on to Cowslip's warren. Glade was sitting next to Sam as they watched the two go. "That was really brave of you Sam, jumping in to save Hickory like that."

Sam chuckled. "I wouldn't really say that. I crossed the street. It's not really a big deal."

"No, she's right Sam," Hazel said, coming up behind them. "It **was** brave of you. I don't know if any of the rest of us could have done it. I'll admit, the thought of crossing that path had me feeling nervous."

Sam sighed, but smiled at the same time. "Alright guys, if you insist, then you're welcome for me using my extraordinary bravery to whisk Hickory from the island of doom."

Glade chuckled along with him. "Alright big hero, let's head home."


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"No Hazel, I still don't understand," Sam said in annoyance, "why the hell aren't you letting me come with?"

"I told you Sam," Hazel said, trying to placate the teen, "I would prefer it if you were here. I don't want to leave the warren without supervision, and Bigwig and Fiver insist on coming along."

"So doesn't it make more sense for you to tell one of **them** to stay here? Don't you think you **might** want the human along when you're traveling cross-country? I mean, what if you get lost? Or have to go through a town or something? What then?"

"Sam, Kehaar's going to be leading us the entire way," Hazel responded, his voice getting harder as he grew tired of Sam's arguing. "He's feeling homesick and he's going back to the big water, his home. He obviously knows how to get there. Getting lost won't be a problem."

Sam tried a different tactic. "Fine then, but why can't you leave Holly in charge? It's not like he isn't used to being in command of rabbits."

"Holly isn't chief material. I don't deny he's brilliant in the owsla, but he doesn't have the right mindset to be chief."

"Oh and **I'm** a better choice to be in charge?"

"Frankly, yes." Sam hesitated at the certainty in Hazel's voice. "Maybe you don't realize it Sam, but you would make a very good leader. I'm leaving you here so I won't have to worry while we're gone."

Sam opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Feeling defeated, he said, "Fine then Hazel, I'll stay. But I'm not going to lie, I think this is a bad decision. One of your few."

"But as your chief, it **is** my decision, and you're going to follow it!" Hazel told him.

_I would have thought that being Prince Rainbow's Messenger would have put me at a higher rank than a chief._ But as quickly as the thought entered Sam's head, he pushed it away. He wouldn't do that to his friend. He nodded. "Alright Hazel, if you insist, I'll keep things running around here while you're gone."

Hazel nodded. "Good. Now in case we don't make it back in time, don't forget that we're supposed to meet Campion at the full moon." That would be in about a week.

"Yeah, I remember. I'll be there. Listen Hazel, just…be careful, alright? Stay away from towns, and keep in mind what I told Hickory and Marigold the other day about crossing roads."

"We will Sam. Take care."

"Yeah," Sam replied with worry obvious in his voice, "you too."

Hazel nodded and turned to the rest of the rabbits accompanying Kehaar to the ocean. The group consisted of Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, Hawkbit, Dandelion, and Pipkin, who insisted he was well enough to travel despite Sam's urging otherwise. Sam sat at the top of the hill and watched them until they were out of sight.

"Don't worry so much Sam," Glade said as she joined him, "it's going to be fine. I'm sure that between the two of us, we can handle anything that'll come up."

Sam sighed, still not taking his eyes off the direction his friends went. "It isn't us that I'm worried about. I just don't feel good about this. I mean, if I was there I could guide them through any towns or cities they come across, they wouldn't have to worry about crossing roads, hell, I could probably even steal a map and get us back if they got lost."

Glade nudged him, trying to snap him out of it. "Sam, they're going to be fine. Hazel is there to deal with any problems they have, Fiver can warn them if anything seriously bad is coming, and they have the owsla to deal with any elil they might run across. They'll be fine."

Sam smiled a bit. "I hope so. Thanks Glade."

"Anytime. So, what now?"

Sam shrugged. "Um, nothing I guess. We don't really have anything to do. Campion somehow got the Efrafans to search for us in a different direction, so they're out of our hair for a while. Hickory and Marigold left just two days ago, so we probably won't see them again for a while. Looks like a day of relaxa-"

"Sam! There you are!"

Sam and Glade looked as Clover approached them quickly. "I was looking for you, and good, Glade's here too. I think I saw Hickory and Marigold heading this way."

They looked at each other in confusion. "Already?" Sam asked. "Why so soon? Do you think something happened?"

"I don't know," Glade responded, "let's go see."

By the time Sam and Glade gathered everyone left at the warren, Hickory and Marigold were almost to the top of the hill.

"Hello Sunflower," Hickory said cheerfully, "and how are you doing today?"

"Uh, good. I should be asking you that question. Is everything alright? You don't usually make it back here so soon."

Marigold turned to Hickory and nodded. "We're ready," she said simply.

Sam blinked, not understanding. "Ready for what?"

"We're ready to leave Cowslip's warren. We're going to leave tomorrow. We were hoping you would be able to help us get the others to Redstone. Hey wait, where's Hazel? And Hawkbit and Dandelion?"

Sam didn't respond. He was still in shock at their announcement. "Tomorrow? You want to leave tomorrow?"

Hickory nodded. "Yes, we think it's time. Where is everyone?"

Glade answered for Sam, sensing that he was still trying to recover from the surprise. "They left with Kehaar earlier today to go to the big water. Hazel left Sunflower in charge."

"Oh that's fine," Hickory said nonchalantly, "will you help us Sunflower?"

Sam shook his head to clear it. "Uh, yeah. Of course we will, but it would probably be better if we could wait for the others do get back. Can you wait a little while longer?"

Hickory and Marigold exchanged a glance before Hickory responded. "I don't think we have much more time to wait. We didn't say anything because we didn't want to worry you, but Cowslip has been getting increasingly suspicious of us. He caught us coming back last time and pressed us to tell him where we were. I think he knows we're going to leave, but if we do it soon enough, he won't have any time to make a plan to stop us. The sooner we're out of there, the better."

The Watership rabbits looked at Sam, curious to see how he would take the news. He shook his head in defeat and answered. "Alright, I guess we have no choice. Some of us will be there in the morning to make sure Cowslip doesn't try anything to stop you."

"Oh thank you Sunflower," Marigold said, "we knew we could count on you."

Hickory added, "But we should hurry back and tell the others. We'll see you tomorrow. Thank you for everything!" They the two turned back the way they had come and began to run back to Cowslip's warren, leaving the Watership Down rabbits all facing Sam.

"Um…" He wasn't sure what to say to the expectant faces. Luckily, Glade was there to help.

"How are you going to do this Sam? What's the plan?"

Sam considered before responding. "Alright, tomorrow I'll go to Cowslip's warren and get them started. I'll lead them straight to Redstone and help them set up." He turned to Holly and Blackberry and sheepishly continued, "I was also hoping you two would be willing to spend a couple of days there? Just to make sure they're really getting the hang of living outside and that they have sentries and everything."

Blackberry nodded, "That sounds like a good idea Sam. We'll come back when we think they have everything set up, sound good?"

Sam nodded. "That's great, thanks you two. Alright, does anyone have anything else?"

"A-Actually, I do," Strawberry said hesitantly. Sam motioned for him to speak. "I want to come with you. To Cowslip's warren I mean."

"Are you sure Strawberry?" Sam asked. "You don't have to do it."

"I know but...I think if I came with, it would help the others feel more at ease. I know all of the rabbits that are leaving, and seeing an old friend can only reinforce their decision."

Sam nodded with a smile. "Alright Strawberry, that sounds good, thanks. I think we have our plan. Tomorrow, we finally break them out!"

* * *

Early the next morning, Sam and Strawberry set out. They followed the route to Cowslip's warren in silence, mentally preparing themselves for the ordeal that lay ahead. As they neared the warren, Strawberry's confident walk began to falter.

"Are you alright?" Sam asked, noticing his friend's distress.

Oh course I'm alright," he asserted, "why wouldn't I be alright?"

"Strawberry, if you want to wait here, that's fine. I can go on and get them, and then you can join us later."

He shook his head vigorously. "No Sam, I need to do this. I need to face my past. I did bad things when I was there, I ignored so much suffering. I'm not going to miss my chance for redemption."

Sam smiled encouragingly. "Alright Strawberry. You lead the way, I'm right behind you."

Strawberry nodded and took point with Sam falling in behind. They passed through the lightest bushes they could find, still being mindful of any snares that could be around. They emerged through the bushes, they startled the rabbits that were out on silflay. However, the rabbits' shock disappeared when they realized who it was.

"Strawberry! Sunflower!" Hickory exclaimed as he pushed to the front of the quickly growing crowd of rabbits. "Everyone leaving is here. Now let's go before-"

"Now what do we have here?" Many of the rabbits cowered at the familiar sound of Cowslip's voice. He exited the warren followed by Silverweed. "Why are we all gathering out here when it's so much nicer in the warren? Oh," he said, finally noticing Strawberry and Sam, "it's the traitor and the troublemaker. To what do we owe this encounter?" Sam peeked around Strawberry at the so called chief of the warren. His fur, which was almost as immaculate as a pet rabbit the last time Sam had seen him, was dirty and unkempt. And his eyes had a faraway stare, like he was looking straight through them.

"We're here to free them, Cowslip," Strawberry said confidently. "They're done living this mockery of a life. You, who calls me a traitor, have sacrificed your subjects and ignored their pain, just to save your own skin. You are not fit to lead anyone, so we're taking them away from this evil place to form their own warren."

"N-no, you can't!" The distant look in his eyes was suddenly gone, replaced with anger.

"Yes we can," Marigold countered, coming up to stand next to her mate, "and there's nothing you can do to stop us. Come on everyone, let's leave this madrabbit to his snares."

"Strawberry," Sam said, turning to his friend, "Lead them to the place. I've got something to settle with Cowslip."

"Are you sure Sunflower?" he replied. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine. Go on."

Strawberry nodded and, with the help of Marigold and Hickory, lead the rabbits toward their new home. Sam waited until they were out of sight before he turned to Cowslip and Silverweed: the only two who hadn't left.

"What do you two plan to do now?" he asked. "It would be foolish to stay here. If the snares don't get you, eventually the farmer will get annoyed that he's no longer catching anything and deal with you in a more…direct method. You should leave this place." He stared at Silverweed with his last statement, willing the mystic to come with him back to Watership Down.

"No," Cowslip said, "you're wrong. I cannot be caught by these snares. They only catch others, never me! The farmer will never get me; I'm too smart, too clever."

"I could never leave my chief," Silverweed said in a monotone voice. As soon as Cowslip wasn't looking, he gave Sam a quick smile to ensure that he was still on his side.

Sam gave a small nod in return. "Fine then!" he yelled at Cowslip, "Stay and die for all I care!" _I'll be back for you tonight_, he thought, trying to project his thoughts to Silverweed. It must have worked, because Silverweed gave another nod, and then turned to go back into the warren. Sam turned and began to run after Strawberry and the others, catching them quickly.

"Sa-Sunflower!" Strawberry exclaimed in relief, almost forgetting to use the right name, "you're alright!"

Sam laughed. "Well of course I am, why wouldn't I be? It's good to see you're doing well. How are they handling it so far?"

"Pretty well. Hickory and Marigold have been teaching them as much as they could while they were still there, so at least they're better prepared than I was expecting. Certainly more so than I was."

Sam nodded. "Ah, that's good." The group walked a bit further before Sam chuckled and spoke again. "So Strawberry, how'd it feel to tell off Cowslip like that?"

Strawberry smiled. "It was fantastic! I was practicing that all night, and it sure felt good."

"I would imagine. The hard part is done; now let's get them to Redstone."

"Wait," Strawberry said, "I don't remember seeing Silverweed anywhere."

Sam shrugged. "He decided to stay back in the warren for some reason. I'm going back tonight to get him. I hope he has a good explanation."

* * *

It was midday by the time they got to Redstone. All things considered, the newly freed rabbits fared well during the trip. If anything, they were overly cautious to compensate for their lack of experience. They were lucky and avoided any elil, making it to the warren with no problems. While Hickory and Marigold showed the rabbits around their new home, Sam and Strawberry discussed the rest of their plan.

"Alright," Sam said, "I think they're going to be fine here. You stay here and help them get settled, and I'll-"

Sam suddenly cut off what he was about to say. An odd feeling had just entered his head, like he was being watched. He had felt it only two places before: Cowslip's warren, and Efrafa. In those two places the feeling was pervasive, but here, it was definitely coming from a specific place. Sam ignored Strawberry's confused questioning if he was alright and tried to pinpoint the source of the feeling. He whipped his head around just in time to see two white rabbit ears shoot into the bushes.

_Crap._ "Strawberry, I have to go," Sam said suddenly.

"What? Go where?"

Sam ignored him. "Just stay here and help them with anything if they need it. If I'm not back by sundown, go get Holly and Glade and send them to Cowslip's warren. Then you and Blackberry come back here."

"Hold on Sam, wha-"

"Just do it!" Sam yelled as the darted off to where he saw the figure retreat. By the time Sam got there, whoever was there was already gone. Sam sniffed the area, trying learn which way the rabbit went. The scent that hit his nose was the last one he wanted to smell: Cowslip. He must have followed them all the way to Redstone. As Sam began the run back to Cowslip's warren, hoping to beat him there, his mind was divided between being impressed, and being angry. He was a bit impressed that Cowslip managed to follow them all the way to Redstone without making himself known. It couldn't have been easy, considering his size. In equal portion, Sam also felt anger towards himself for **not** noticing that they had a follower. Sam shook his head to clear the thoughts as he ran on.

He returned to Cowslip's warren in half the time it had taken him to get to Redstone. The warren was vacant. "Cowslip, where are you?" he called out in frustration.

"Sam?"

Sam turned and saw Silverweed exit the warren. "What are you doing back here? You said you weren't coming until tonight."

Sam shook his head in annoyance. "Cowslip followed us. I'm sure he's going to come back here; I must have beaten him back." He sighed.

"So **that's **where he went to! I didn't even realize he would be following you. His presence just suddenly disappeared. He'll be along soon though," Silverweed assured. "He has nowhere else to go." Sam nodded. "So, how are the others enjoying freedom? Are they adapting well?"

"They seem to be," Sam said. "I left pretty quickly when I saw Cowslip, but they seemed very happy."

While they waited for the large rabbit to return, Sam decided to ask the question that had plagued him during the entire walk to Redstone.

"Silverweed, why didn't you come with us? I already told you that you would have a home at Watership Down. Why stay here?"

The small mystic hung his head. "You don't understand Sam, there's something strange going on here. Something bad. I felt it when I was undoing the damage to everyone's minds."

"Ah hah!"

Sam and Silverweed spun their heads around in alarm as Cowslip arrogantly emerged from the bushes. "I knew it! I knew there was a traitor destroying my subjects' beliefs, and it was you, Silverweed."

"I don't know what you're talking about Cowslip," Silverweed said in his monotone voice. "This outsider charged in here demanding to see you. I respectfully told him you were out, but he was quite insistent."

Cowslip snarled. "After everything I've done for you: gave you a home, protected you from the shining wires, encouraged you to hone your mystic skills, **this** is how you repay me? You betray me, then lie to my face about it? I'm appalled. I heard everything you said. By the way," his gaze shifted to Sam, "Sam is quite an odd name for a rabbit, especially when I **thought** your name was Sunflower. Care to shed some light on that?"

"I wouldn't worry about it," Sam said. "I'm more concerned about you. You followed us. Why?"

"Those are **my** rabbits," Cowslip said angrily, "you stole them from me!"

"They don't belong to anyone but themselves," Sam retorted. "So now what Cowslip? What are you going to do now that you know where they are?"

"Oh, I don't know," Cowslip peacefully, "maybe nothing. More rabbits will come here eventually, so why should I do anything to them?" He gave a grimace of pain, which turned into a hateful glare. "Or **maybe**, I might drop by this warren I've been hearing so much about. What was it called again? Ah yes, Efrafa. I hear they don't take kindly to outside warrens, I wonder what they would have to say about Redstone."

"Why are you doing this Cowslip?" Silverweed said suddenly. "This isn't like you at all, what's wrong with you?"

In a kind voice, Cowslip said, "Silverweed, what are you talking about?" Then his face hardened. "There's nothing at all wrong with me!"

"I can't let you go to Efrafa, Cowslip," Sam said. "My friends and I will keep a watch on you until Hazel gets back, then he can decide what to do with you."

Cowslip's face suddenly had tinges of fear. "No, you won't hold me captive, not in my own warren."

"Yes," Sam said as he approached, "we will."

"Get away from me," Cowslip said as he slowly backed away from Sam. "I said…**get away!**" he yelled in a voice that was suddenly much deeper and rougher. Sam watched in shock as tendrils of darkness began to emanate from Cowslip's pupils until both of his eyes were completely black. He gave a spine-tingling yell of anger before charging at the pair.

Sam barely had time to shove Silverweed out of the way before Cowslip slammed into him, sending the two rolling. Both were trying to pin the other. As they struggled on the ground, Sam noticed they were near a tree, and with a massive kick, sent Cowslip flying into it. He knocked the air out of the large white rabbit. Cowslip slumped to the ground, trying to catch his breath. Sam quickly jumped and pinned him to the ground. "That's enough Cowslip," he said in annoyance, "you can't beat me, so just stop this stupidity."

"**Never boy,**" he said, "**I will never give in to you. Never!**"

Sam hesitated, he knew he was in a tough spot. It was obvious that Cowslip wasn't going to back down and go with Sam's plan, and he couldn't risk the large rabbit going to Woundwort. It seemed like there was only one option…

"Don't make me kill you Cowslip," Sam said with a hint of desperation in his voice. "Just come along quietly and we can figure something out. It doesn't have to be like this."

Suddenly, Cowslip's face turned from one of anger to one of pleading. "Please," he said, his blue eyes beginning to show through the black, "save me." But in an instant it was gone, and Cowslip's face was again filled with rage.

Sam shook his head, confused. "What the…"

"Do it Sam," Silverweed said sadly. Sam looked over and saw that the small mystic had tears in his eyes. "Kill him."

"I…" Sam looked down at the thrashing figure underneath him. He stared into the eyes and found no intelligence, only rage. There would be no snapping him out of it. "Damn it," he muttered before suddenly lunging forward. He bit hard into Cowslip's throat, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth. Resisting the urge to vomit, he held on until Cowslip ceased struggling and lay still. Sam let go of his throat, and looked to see a content smile on his face.

Sam shakily removed himself from the lifeless body, spitting out blood as he did. Not being able to take it any longer, Sam quickly shifted back to his human form and ran behind the nearest tree and vomited. He came back around the tree to see Silverweed staring at the body of Cowslip with tears running down his face.

"Silverweed," Sam said slowly, "what the hell is going on here? What just happened?"

"It's a long story Sam."

Sam smiled walked over to Silverweed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Tell me on the way to Watership Down. There's no way you're staying here." Silverweed nodded his agreement and the two began to walk, Sam turning to his rabbit form once again.

"It all started when I was going through everyone's minds, trying to get them to leave. I figured there was no reason not to see if I couldn't try and convince Cowslip to leave as well, so one day I touched his mind." Silverweed paused.

"What happened?"

He shuddered. "There was already something there. I hadn't noticed it earlier because I never had any reason to go into Cowslip's mind. There was something…attacking him. Or trying to anyway. I could only observe for fear of drawing attention to myself, but all around Cowslip's mind, there was…a cloud of anger and hatred. It seemed as though it was trying to invade his mind, but Cowslip wouldn't let it. I don't know how long he had been fighting that thing, but I could tell that he was losing. Looking back, it makes sense. I was born in that warren, the last kitten that was born. My parents were taken by the snares, so Cowslip raised me. I remember he used to be kinder; he used to grieve with the loss of each rabbit that was taken. But then he started to change. As the seasons went by, he cared less and less about the deaths, and almost seemed to revel in them. Time went by, and he became the cruel being you know today."

Sam shook his head slowly, trying to process all that he had heard. "But what happened at the end? He told me to…to **save** him."

Silverweed lowered his head. "What you said made him panic. You threatened him with his greatest fear: being captured. He lost his concentration and that **thing **made it into his mind. The instant when whatever was attacking him took control, I was able to see into his mind. Into the real him. Cowslip never wanted to hurt anyone, he would rather have died. That's why he begged you to save him from whatever had taken his body, he knew he couldn't fight it anymore. He was so strong, so good hearted." Silverweed cried harder.

Sam moved closer and wrapped him in a hug. "I'm sorry Silverweed. I'm sorry for what I had to do."

"Don't be," he said with a sniffle, "like he said, you saved him. You showed him a mercy that many others would not have been able to."

Sam looked at the ground. _There were plenty of others that would have killed him. I just happened to be the one there._ "Come on," he said out loud, "let's get to the warren."

Silverweed nodded. "Sam, there's one thing I forgot to mention. When Cowslip…died…whatever took him over didn't die with him."

"So you're saying…"

Silverweed nodded. "Yes. It escaped, and it's still out there."

* * *

Sam and Silverweed crested the top of the hill, surprising everyone. They hadn't expected to see Silverweed and Sam coming from the direction of Cowslip's warren instead of Redstone. Sam waved away all questions, saying that he would answer tomorrow. He asked Primrose to find Silverweed an empty burrow, and sent Holly and Blackberry to Redstone, making sure they told Strawberry that he was alright.

Sam sat on the hill in his human form, facing the direction he had come. The direction where Cowslip's body lay. He heard someone approach from behind and didn't even move his gaze as Glade lay down beside him. "What's wrong Sam?" she asked with worry in her voice. "What happened there?"

Sam closed his eyes at the painful memory. "I killed someone today."

Glade hid her shock at his confession and asked him for the whole story. He told her everything Silverweed had said.

"Sam, I'm so sorry," she said, nuzzling his face where tears had begun to flow again. "It was hard, but you did a good thing. Wherever Cowslip is now, I know he's thanking you."

Sam shook his head. "I had hoped it wouldn't hurt this much. I was sure I would be pushed into killing eventually, but I hoped it would be easier. That maybe, because they weren't humans, I would be able to distance myself from anyone I fought." He gave a harsh laugh. "So much for that idea."

"Oh Sam…" Glade said comfortingly.

She moved closer and nuzzled his chest. He turned and threw his arms around her, crying into her shoulder.

A/N: This was an interesting chapter to write, let me know what you thought :)


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

It had been a week since the death of Cowslip, and Sam still felt the strain of his actions. Beside feeling guilt at having to kill another, Sam now had to deal with the fact that there was something evil out there capable of taking over rabbits' minds. Hazel and the others hadn't returned either, adding to Sam's worries. However, that meant he was still in charge, and responsible for meeting with Campion, which is where he and Glade were headed.

"I wonder if Campion will have anything to report," Glade said as they left the cave into Efrafan territory.

Sam shook his head. "Dear Frith, I hope not. Personally, I think I've already dealt with enough as temporary leader."

"Sam," Glade said, with a sly look, "did you just say 'dear Frith'?"

"Did I? Huh. I guess you guys are rubbing off on me."

Glade just smiled as they entered the woods and went to the meeting place Campion had showed them. They didn't see anyone in the clearing at first, but Campion appeared out from behind a tree as soon as he recognized Sam.

"I didn't realize you would be the one meeting me, Sunflower," Campion said. "It's always Hazel, and sometimes Bigwig. Did something happen to them?"

"Nope, they're just on a little vacation." Sam explained that they were accompanying Kehaar to the ocean. "So," he concluded pleasantly, "you get to deal with me and Glade this time."

Campion chuckled. "There are worse to be around. I do find it strange that Hazel wouldn't have taken you along though. I would think you would be rather useful on such a long journey."

"See, that's what **I** said! But no, Hazel tells me to stay and keep the warren under control." Sam chuckled and said sarcastically, "He is **not** utilizing my skills to their fullest extent."

Campion laughed in response, one of the few Sam had heard from the captain. He quickly sobered. "Well, I have something that may put your 'skills' to use. You know of the warren Redstone? Primrose's old home?" Sam's breath caught in his throat as he nodded. Campion continued, "Woundwort says rabbits are there again. He's going to attack it the day after tomorrow."

"Oh come on!" Sam complained. "What **else** could go wrong? Damn it, we'll have to think of something." Sam thought a moment before realizing. "Wait a second, how does he even know that? The only rabbits who know are them and us." Sam's mind went unbidden to Cowslip. "The only ones living that is."

"It sounds like there's a story in that." Campion replied. "I don't know where he got this information from. A couple days ago, he suddenly announced we were going to attack them. I've asked around, but none of the owsla seems to know anything about it."

Sam shook his head. "Well that's not good. Argh, we'll worry about that later. For now, we need to think about how to save Redstone."

"If I were them, I would run. Nothing will stop Woundwort from getting what he wants. Except humans. Well, **full** sized humans. I don't know why you didn't faze him, it's almost unnatural." Campion chuckled. "Although, you **did** cause quite a stir among the owsla. They're **still** talking about you. They're calling you the Ithe of Inlé, and knowing you're out there makes them much less excited about finding your warren. Our searching has been going terrible because the troops are too nervous about it."

Sam smiled in amusement. "Well, it's good to know that I'm so popular. 'Ithe of Inlé,' huh? Nice ring to it."

Campion looked at the sky, noting the position of the moon. "I need to go. Vervain has been watching me like a hawk lately. I think he's getting suspicious. I'll see the two of you soon and good luck saving Redstone."

Sam nodded, "Sounds good Campion. Good luck, and be careful. Don't endanger yourself on our account."

"I'll be careful. Farewell."

* * *

It was with heavy hearts that Glade and Sam relayed Campion's message to the Watership Down rabbits, including Holly and Blackberry, who were back from Redstone. They listened in disbelief.

"What are we going to do Sam?" Strawberry said. "They've worked so hard to turn that place into a home, and now they have to leave? It's going to break their hearts."

"I know, I know," Sam said in frustration, "I'm thinking. It would be best if we could just chase him away or something."

"That would be great," Glade said, "but like Campion said, he's unstoppable. I don't think just keeping him away is an option."

Sam thought hard before responding. "Alright guys, this is kind of a simple plan, but hear me out. We go there first thing tomorrow and get them to leave. We'll just have them come here until it's all over. It's a stretch, but maybe Woundwort will think his information was wrong if he finds an empty warren. If he buys it and leaves the warren alone, well then fine. They can move back in a couple of days. If he doesn't, and puts a watch on it or something, then we'll have to either take them in ourselves, or help them find a new home, broken hearts or not."

The others stared at him until Sam began to feel self conscious about his simplistic plan. Holly finally spoke. "Sam, don't you think Woundwort is a bit too smart for that?"

"Of course I do. To be honest, I doubt he'll fall for the trick. But getting them to safety is the main thing, and if we can make sure Redstone is safe too, well that's all the better. I'm just kind of hoping he gives up. If he thinks they won't be coming back, he won't have any reason to check the warren again, right?"

"Is there no other way?" Primrose asked. "Nothing at all we can do for them?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "If anyone else has any good ideas, I'd be glad to hear them." Though they thought hard, none of the rabbits could think of a way to keep Woundwort from getting to Redstone. Sam hung his head sadly. "I didn't think so. We're just…going to have to run with it and hope it turns out for the best. The worst case scenario is that they need to move, and it's really not **that** bad when you consider the alternative."

Everyone nodded and mumbled their agreement. Nobody was happy with the plan, but they had nothing better.

"Alright everyone," Sam said, "let's get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow."

They agreed and dispersed, most going to their burrows to sleep. Soon Silverweed and Sam were left alone.

They exchanged a glance and Sam spoke. "You noticed it too, huh?"

Silverweed nodded. "How did Woundwort know? The only ones who know about that warren wouldn't go to Woundwort about it. Except for…"

To prevent panic, Silverweed, Glade, and Sam decided against telling the others that Cowslip had been possessed. Instead, they said Cowslip had attacked and Sam was forced to retaliate. They planned to tell Hazel, Bigwig, and Fiver when they returned, but no others.

"Do you think that thing has something to do with Woundwort?"

Sam nodded grimly. "It's a very real possibility. It's been quite a while, but I remember that Woundwort was always the most evil one around. Do you think it's possible that he's gained some type of new ability?"

"Nothing's impossible. If Woundwort is the cause of all this, then he's even more dangerous than we thought before."

"It makes sense," Sam said. "I was brought here to take care of Woundwort because he's somehow developed powers that the others can't fight. So Frith and Prince Rainbow brought me here as a little extra help of their own."

Silverweed nodded his agreement. "It's logical, but let's worry about that later. First we have to concern ourselves with Redstone."

Sam sighed. "Yeah. Redstone." Silverweed gave Sam an inquiring look. "I just…feel like I'm doing this all wrong, you know? Like, I bet if Hazel were here he'd come up with some awesome trick to fool Woundwort. Not the crappy little thing I came up with. I just don't know if Hazel was right about me being a good leader."

"Your priorities are in order; I think you're doing fine."

"Huh?"

Silverweed smiled. "You said keeping everyone safe is the most important thing, and that's absolutely right. Saving Redstone would be nice, but they can find another home. This is a tough situation; there's not going to be an easy answer."

"Yeah, no joke. Thanks Silverweed. Good night."

"Sleep well, Sam."

* * *

The next morning, Sam, Glade, Blackberry, Holly, and Strawberry were on their way to Redstone to inform its inhabitants of the situation. Holly and Strawberry planned to bring the rabbits back to Watership Down while Glade, Blackberry, and Sam destroyed all evidence they had been at Redstone.

Hickory and Marigold met them as they approached.

"Hello everyone," Hickory said happily, "how is everything? Isn't it just a wonderful day?"

Sam replied morosely, "Ah, not really Hickory. This isn't exactly a pleasure call."

"Is something the matter?" Marigold inquired.

"Yeah. You two were told about Woundwort and Efrafa, right?" They nodded. "Well, it appears that Woundwort has his sights set on Redstone. He plans to attack tomorrow."

The group from Watership Down watched as their faces fell.

"B-But that's…how did he…" Hickory stammered. "Why is this happening? How did he find us? What are we going to do!"

"Calm down Hickory!" Sam said firmly. "What we're going to **do** is get you guys away from here. Holly and Strawberry are going to bring you and the others to Watership Down, and you're going to stay there for a little while. Meanwhile, Blackberry, Glade, and I are going to try and make it seem like no one had lived here in a while and hope that Woundwort believes it."

"And what if he doesn't?" Marigold asked with a shaking voice.

Sam averted his eyes, he couldn't stand meeting their pain filled gazes. "If he doesn't believe the trick, then I don't know when, or if, Redstone will be safe again. You'd likely have to leave it."

Their heads fell, Marigold's eyes filling with tears while Hickory just looked angry.

"Come on you two, that's enough." Everyone looked at Strawberry in surprise. "I know this is hard, but we need you to stay strong. You have to be there for the others, they're going to need you."

The two looked at their friend before their faces hardened with determination. They both nodded and led the way back to Redstone. They called everyone together outside the warren to tell them the news.

Hickory stepped forward. "Hello everyone. I'm going to get straight to the point: we're in a bit of trouble. Our friends from Watership Down just told us that we're going to be attacked by Efrafa. Tomorrow." The rabbits furiously talked amongst themselves, growing in volume until they were just short of panic. "Everyone! Quiet down and listen!" They calmed and turned to face Hickory. "We can't panic. We **won't** panic. Our friends have graciously allowed us to stay at their warren for a few days while we try and trick Woundwort away from here." Hickory looked as Sam, indicating that he should explain the plan.

"Okay guys," Sam said, "all of you are going to follow Strawberry and Holly back to Watership Down. It's safe there and you won't have to worry. Meanwhile, Glade, Blackberry, and I are going to try and erase any sign that you were here. Ideally, Woundwort will believe that his information was wrong and leave."

Some of the rabbits wanted to stay and fight for their new home, but at Hickory and Sam's urging, their arguments faded. Holly and Strawberry led the Redstone rabbits back to Watership Down, leaving Sam and the two does to mess the warren up. They stepped inside and Sam's spirit dropped when he realized what removing all trace of life would mean. He remembered what the warren had looked like when they first arrived. The floors and walls had been rough from the natural settling of the earth, and everything had been covered with a layer of dust. Now all the runs were smooth, and the warren looked just as nice as Watership Down.

"Wow," Blackberry said in disbelief, "they really cleaned this place up. I'm going to feel so bad about ruining all their hard work."

Sam shifted to his human form and answered in a sad voice. "I know what you mean, Blackberry. But if Woundwort is going to believe that no one is living here, then we have to trash the place."

Sam walked to one of the burrows in the back of the warren and proceeded to smash the end of his staff against the ceiling, causing a shower of dirt and dust to come raining down. It resulted in the warren looking rundown and disused. He used the same technique all along the warren while Blackberry and Glade dug in weak spots to cause small collapses, sending dirt everywhere.

They were just finishing the back burrows and were starting on the main run when they heard a surprised yell behind them. They turned and saw Marigold at the entrance to the run, staring at Sam with wide eyes. Sam groaned. _Not again._

"Hey there Marigold," Sam said casually as he leaned on his staff. "So…did you need something?"

She shook her head in disbelief. "Who…what…Sunflower?"

He chuckled, being fairly used to the reactions by now. "The name's Sam actually, but yeah, same person." Seeing that she was about to continue her questioning, Sam interrupted. "Listen Marigold, I'm sorry that we didn't tell you sooner. But we don't really have much time to talk; there's still a lot to be done. Blackberry, can you take her back to Watership Down?" The doe nodded. Sam tuned back to Marigold. "As soon as I get back, I'll tell the truth to Hickory and the rest of your warren, alright?"

"B-But I-" she stammered.

"You can trust him Marigold, I promise," Glade said. "I know that this seems really strange, but Sam is one of the most dependable members of our warren. He's helped us though so much."

Seeing Marigold still unresponsive with surprise, Blackberry smiled understandingly. "I'll take her back. Can the two of you handle it from here without me?" Sam and Glade nodded. "Alright Marigold," she continued kindly, "come on. Let's get you back with the others." Blackberry gestured and Marigold followed wordlessly.

Before she was completely out of sight, she turned back and looked at Sam. "Thank you. For everything." Then she turned and followed Blackberry.

Sam chuckled as he went back to work. "That actually went pretty well, I think."

"Hopefully," Glade said as she dug where Blackberry had left off. "Don't forget: you have to tell the rest of her warren too. I'm sure Hickory will be alright with it, but who knows about the others. They haven't gotten a chance to know you. They might not be so accommodating."

"Maybe not on their own, but with Strawberry, Marigold - and hopefully Hickory - backing me up? I'm sure it will all work out fine."

The two continued to work in silence through the day. When they finished, the sun was just beginning to set, casting a red glow on the boulders that gave the warren its name. They had thoroughly roughed up the inside; anyone who looked at it would not believe anything lived there, let alone a group of rabbits. A strong breeze had started sometime while they had been working, and would hopefully get rid of any lingering scents.

"What do you think, Glade?" Sam asked as they sat outside the warren. "Would you believe this looks deserted?"

"I hope so, Sam. It's really all we can do."

He nodded. "Alright then, let's head back to the down."

They got up to leave when suddenly they heard rustling in the bushes in the opposite direction. The two exchanged a glance and jumped behind the rocks, Sam shifting to his rabbit form. He peeked around the corner, careful to keep his ears down so they didn't stick out. He saw a brown rabbit walk slowly towards the warren, looking around as if he expected an ambush. Sam watched a moment longer before recognizing the rabbit.

"Campion?" He asked, rounding the corner with Glade in tow. They surprised the captain with their sudden appearance. "What are you doing here?"

He snorted. "I could ask you the same thing. I was able to convince Woundwort to let me scout out this warren before the attack. I had hoped to warn them about it in case you hadn't done anything, but it appears as though you're ahead of me. Where are the rabbits that were supposed to be here?"

Sam and Glade exchanged a sly look. "Why don't you have a look for yourself," Glade replied.

Campion shot them a questioning glance, but made his way to the entrance of the warren when they didn't respond. They sat outside as he sniffed around. Campion wore a smile on his face as he exited the warren.

"Again I have to ask: are there any rabbits here? That warren looks like it hasn't seen any type of life in seasons."

Glade and Sam flashed each other victorious smiles. Sam replied, "That's exactly how we want it. They're staying at our warren until this blows over. We spent the majority of the day wrecking the place and making it look like this. Blackberry was helping for a while, but she had to take someone back to our warren."

Campion nodded. "Hazel and Bigwig spoke highly of Blackberry. They called her a 'digging expert.' I have to say, this is nicely done. It convinced me, and hopefully it will be enough to trick Woundwort."

Sam frowned. "Let's hope so. We just have to pray that he doesn't get any other flashes of insight like he did when he found this place."

"I still couldn't find anyone that knew about this warren before Woundwort," Campion said. "I'm dying to know how he found out."

Sam pursed his lips before responding. "Actually, we might have an idea about that." Sam told Campion the story about his fight with Cowslip, making sure to fully explain the presence that had been attacking his mind. He finished, "So Silverweed and I think that since whatever that…thing, was escaped, that it might be living in Woundwort now. Or maybe he was the one in control of it in the first place; it's hard to say. But I would bet that's where Woundwort got his information."

Campion, who had been standing speechless during the entire explanation, responded. "It sounds…impossible. I want to disbelieve it, but it **would** make sense. It's just so strange, almost as shocking as discovering you're a human."

Sam replied, "Most importantly, it means you need to be really careful. I'm serious Campion. If you feel anything start to go wrong, get out of Efrafa. None of us want you getting hurt."

"Thank you," Campion said with a smile. "I will be careful, I promise. And I'll let you know if I see or hear anything else strange." He chuckled. "Well, I suppose I had better go back and tell them the truth: there are no rabbits here."

Sam grimaced. "Oh right, and **I** need to go drop the 'I'm a human' bomb on the others from Redstone."

"Good luck Sunflower."

"You too."

* * *

"…and so that's the whole story," Sam, in his human form, said to the rabbits from Redstone. Aside from Marigold, they all had surprised looks on their faces. Many also had fear. "But like I said," he continued, "I'm here to help. You can ask anyone here, including Strawberry and Silverweed."

Sam watched as the Redstone rabbits just sat and stared at him. Hickory stood and all gazes shifted to him. "I…don't know what to say. We will have to discuss what to do about this. It isn't a decision I can make without their input."

"I understand," Sam said. "Of course you're all still welcome to stay. A couple of us are going to hide at Redstone tomorrow to see if the trick works. You can talk about it while we're gone."

Hickory kept an emotionless face and nodded. The rabbits turned and headed to the burrows that had been cleared out for them to sleep in while they were at Watership Down. Even though there were a few empty burrows because Hazel and the others were gone, the Watership rabbits condensed themselves even more so their guests could be comfortable. Clover, Glade, and Sam slept in one burrow, while Silverweed, Holly, and Strawberry slept in another. Primrose, Blackberry, and the three kittens took up a third burrow.

The next morning, Sam, along with Glade and Strawberry, hid in the bushes on a hill outside of Redstone waiting for the Efrafans. They didn't have to wait long before they saw Woundwort's large frame emerge from the bushes on the other side. Followed by his owsla, Campion included, Woundwort made a charge for the entrance to the warren. They watched as the owsla surrounded the warren while Woundwort himself went inside. A few minutes passed until he came out again.

"Where are they?" he yelled. From their position on the hill, the group from Watership Down could hear the conversation taking place below.

"I told you sir," Campion replied, "there wasn't anyone here. I looked everywhere, including inside the warren, but I couldn't find any traces of rabbits."

Woundwort fumed. "That's impossible! I **know** they were here! Where could they have gone?"

"Perhaps they didn't like the location?" Campion suggested. "That warren is in pretty rough shape; it might have been easier to just find a different place."

"I have another idea." The group turned to face the new speaker, and Sam bristled when he heard the familiar voice: Vervain. "If I may sir, I believe Campion betrayed us."

"What?" Campion yelled, feigning outrage.

"That is a serious accusation to make about my most loyal soldier," Woundwort said, ignoring Campion's outburst. "What proof do you have?"

"I've been watching him. Campion came here just yesterday, alone, to 'scout,' or so he says. I think he warned them about it. I've caught him on more than one occasion sneaking out of and back into the warren at night. **I** think he's meeting with outsiders, possibly the ones that **were** at this warren. Also, for the past few days, he has been asking around the owsla to see how you knew about this warren. I believe he was looking for whoever told on his friends."

Campion shook his head fiercely. "General, surely you can't-"

"Explain yourself, Campion," Woundwort interrupted.

"I-I…"

Woundwort's voice hardened. "That's what I thought. Owsla! Take the **Captain** back to Efrafa for questioning. We'll find out who he's spying for."

Sam's eyes widened when he heard that. "No…" he said in denial. He didn't realize he had begun to move towards them until he suddenly found himself pinned down by Glade.

"What are you doing, Sam?" she asked quietly. "You can't go out there; there are way too many!"

"Let go of me, Glade," he said, struggling. "I'm not letting them take Campion too. I have to try."

"You can't, Sam," Strawberry said, moving to help Glade hold Sam down, "you'll be killed!"

"But…Campion!" Sam said desperately.

Glade held him tighter. "No Sam, I care too much about you to let you do this." At her words, he stopped struggling and stared desperately at the Efrafans. The owsla, with Campion in tow, had begun to move to the bushes to go back to Efrafa. Woundwort and Vervain held back.

"Should we leave some sort of watch here, General?" Vervain asked. "Just in case the rabbits return."

Woundwort shook his head angrily. "No. I have no doubt Campion told them to run and not come back. It isn't worth our time. Let us leave this place, Vervain." They turned and followed the owsla back to Efrafa.

Glade and Strawberry got off Sam slowly, making sure he wouldn't try and run. He turned to them with sadness. "Let's just get back to the down." The two nodded and they set off.

"I'm sorry, Sam," Glade said on the walk back. "I know you wanted to help Campion, but I couldn't let you do it."

Sam gave her a weak smile. "You don't have to apologize for anything. You were right: there was no way I could have saved him. I probably would have gotten us all captured. Or worse. You did the right thing. Thanks."

The rest of the walk was spent in silence. They crested the top of the hill and found all the rabbits outside. Although the Watership rabbits were spread around the hill, the Redstone rabbits stayed together. The only rabbit from Redstone that wasn't with them was Marigold. She was talking with Primrose and helping her watch Snowdrop, Gillia, and Blackavar. All heads turned to the trio as they came over the hilltop and all chatter ceased.

"Hey everyone," Sam said, sadness and fatigue in his voice, "I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the Efrafans bought the trick, and with our own ears we heard Woundwort say it wasn't worth their time to watch Redstone. You guys can probably head back today if you'd like, or you can wait a while if you want to be sure." The Redstone rabbits muttered excitedly amongst themselves at the news, all except for Hickory.

"And the bad news?" he said skeptically.

Sam's ears fell and he looked away. "They captured Campion." The Watership rabbits, as well as Hickory and Marigold, were shocked. "Vervain caught him sneaking out to meet with us and told Woundwort. He blamed Campion for your disappearance and took him captive."

Hickory stepped forward. "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope he'll be alright. However, I think we should be on our way."

"Already? Are you sure you don't want to wait at least until later in the day?"

Hickory shook his head. "No, I think it would be better for everyone if we left now."

Strawberry hopped forward. "What are you talking about, Hickory? It's no problem having you here with us."

Hickory glanced back and forth between Strawberry and Sam. He sighed. "It isn't a problem with staying here, Strawberry, it's staying with **him**." Hickory gestured at Sam.

"What's your problem with **him**?" Glade said, anger entering into her voice.

"It's just…after all we did to escape Cowslip's warren and the man's snares, I don't know if we want to associate with humans anymore. At all."

Fury appeared on Glade's face. "All **you've** done! If it wasn't for Sam and the others, you cowards wouldn't-"

"Glade!" She stopped at Sam's interruption. He moved closer to her and whispered, "Don't make this any worse than it already is."

"But…"

"Let's just let it go and give them a chance for it to really sink in. Hickory and Marigold are reasonable; I'm sure they can talk to the others."

Hickory moved closer to them and lowered his voice. "Please forgive me. The others in our warren can't get it out of their heads that human means danger. Don't get me wrong, I know you're nothing like the farmer. You and the others have done more for us than we can ever repay. I'm so sorry it came to this, but the others are just too afraid. If you give us some time, hopefully Marigold and I can get them to see the truth. I'm sorry Sunflower. Or Sam if you prefer."

Sam gave a weak smile. "I'm getting pretty used to either one. Are you sure there's nothing you can say to convince them?"

Hickory shook his head. "I'm sure. Marigold and I argued with them for the majority of the day. We had to give in to keep their trust in us."

"So you betrayed Sam for your position as chief?" Glade whispered accusingly.

Hickory replied hastily, "No, no, it's not like that. I just…I knew that if the two of us didn't stay in their good graces, that contact between our warrens would be cut off entirely. As it stands, we can communicate with you easily enough without them realizing."

"He's right, Glade," Sam said, cutting off a scathing comeback from the doe. "Considering the circumstances, it would be best to have rabbits we know we can trust in power." Sam chuckled. _I'm starting to sound like a politician._

Hickory nodded. "Thanks for understanding. We should probably go; the others are getting restless. We'll keep in touch though, I promise."

"Take care, and don't be afraid to come to us if you need help."

Hickory nodded and turned back to his group. They spoke quickly, then began walking in the direction of Redstone. Few of them met Sam's eyes as they walked by him, but the ones who did had sorrowful faces, suggesting that Hickory and Marigold weren't the only ones on Sam's side. Marigold hurriedly said good bye to Primrose and the kittens as she followed, apologizing to Sam as well before she left.

As soon as they were gone, Sam shifted to his human form and flopped down on his back. "That sucked," he said morosely. "I was waiting for it too; I **knew** my being human was going to screw **something** up."

"There's nothing you could have done Sam," Holly said, approaching the teen. "Their minds were already made up. It's nothing you did."

Glade nodded in agreement. "Yeah, those fools don't know what they're talking about."

Sam sighed. "Thanks guys, but the fact of the matter is that they want nothing to do with us because of me. I don't have to have done anything for it to be my fault."

"I wish I would have thought of that back as Cowslip's warren," Silverweed said regretfully. "I could have easy worked 'human tolerance' into their minds."

"No, I'm glad you didn't," Sam replied. "That wouldn't have been the right way to get them on our side."

"It will be alright Sam," Primrose promised. "You're with us, not them. And **we** know who and what you are."

"Just forget about them Uncle Sam," Blackavar said, nuzzling his cheek. "**We** love you." Snowdrop and Gillia echoed his sentiments.

Sam couldn't help but smile. "Thanks buddy, I love you guys too."

Just then, a loud cry pierced through the air. Sam and the others looked up to see a familiar gull flying above the down.

"We back!" Kehaar yelled as he landed beside the group. "We back from Peeg Vater." They saw Hazel come over the top of the hill, followed by the others who had gone. The two groups ran to meet each other, glad to see everyone safe.

Hazel walked up to Sam. "Hello Sam. How was your time as chief?"

Sam gave Hazel an emotionless look. "You are **never** allowed to go anywhere ever again!"

"What happened?"

"I don't even know where to start, Hazel. I can honestly say I have no clue how you do it. I was in charge for a week, and I'm ready to retire. But hey, we'll talk about that later. How did your trip-oof!"

"Sam!" Pipkin yelled, having just tackled the boy. Sam laughed and wrapped his arms around the small rabbit.

"Hey there Pipkin, I missed you too. How was the trip? Did you have fun?"

"Oh it was incredible! We met a pig, and a puffin, and we rode a hrududu to the big water!"

Sam's mouth dropped open in shock. "You…what? Explain. Now."

"Oh, we might have take a trip through a human town to get there," Hazel said innocently. Sam noticed Dandelion and Bigwig glaring at Hawkbit when he said that. "It was alright though, a nice pig showed a hrududu that took us right to the big water."

Sam held up his hands. "You know what? I don't want to know. I'm just glad you made it back safely."

"Alright Sam, but I want to know what's been happening around here. You don't look like you had a good time."

Sam looked away.

"I'll tell them," Glade said to him softly. Sam nodded and she began. The travelers didn't speak through the story. Some of them reacted with surprise when they heard that Sam had killed Cowslip, but Pipkin just snuggled closer. Glade told them everything except for Cowslip being possessed. When she was done, the down was quiet.

Hazel was the first to break the silence. He turned to Sam. "Can you forgive me Sam? I never…I wouldn't have left if I had known **half** of this would have happened."

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Hazel," Sam replied. "There was no way you could have known. But I would **love** your help fixing all this."

Hazel smiled. "Of course. We'll start working on Redstone and freeing Campion. Tomorrow, that is. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm much too tired to do anything more today."

"Shouldn't we at least discuss it tonight?" Sam asked.

Hazel gave him a wry look. "No, we'll wait for tomorrow. It's **my** decision now, remember?"

Sam shook his head good naturedly. "Thank Frith."

A/N: Alright, I'm not sure when the next chapter might be up. I'm currently on vacation in California (woot WOOT), so it doesn't really give me much time to write. ANYWAYS, let me know what you thought of this chapter :)


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Pipkin opened his eyes and yawned. He and the others had been back at the down for a little over a week, but he was still grateful to be home. He looked around the burrow he had been sharing with his best friend Fiver, and more recently, Silverweed. Pipkin still thought Silverweed was a bit strange, but he was nice enough. No one was in the burrow, but that wasn't out of the ordinary. Pipkin had become one of the latest sleepers in the warren, so he was used to waking up with no one else there. He walked outside and noticed two things: first, that it was noticeably colder than it had been recently. And second, that his feet crunched every time he took a step. He looked down and saw leaves in reds, yellows, and oranges blanketing the ground.

"Good morning Pipkin." Pipkin looked to his right to see Fiver walking towards him with a smile on his face.

"Fiver!" Pipkin yelled excitedly. "It's fall! Look at all the leaves!"

"Oh I know. Sam, Hazel's children, and I have already begun setting up." As Fiver said that, Snowdrop walked by with her mouth full of leaves. Pipkin watched her walk around to the other side of the tree. Fiver chuckled before he said simply, "Race you."

The two stared at each other for a moment before taking off at the same time. They rounded the tree to find a large mound of leaves. Sam stood in front of it with his back to them, adding more leaves to the pile. Pipkin saw his opportunity and jumped on Sam's back, propelling them both into the leaves. Pipkin laughed as he and Sam surfaced, Sam's face covered in small bits of leaf.

"Fank woo Pikin," Sam said before spitting leaves out of his mouth. "We're almost done. We gathered every leaf we could find on the down. I wouldn't have thought that rabbits did this kind of thing. I could have sworn it was humans only."

"How do you know **you** didn't learn it by watching **us**?" Fiver asked humorously.

Sam was about to answer when Gillia, Snowdrop, and Blackavar ran up to Pipkin and began shouting in excitement.

Gillia was the first. "Is it ready yet Pipkin? Is this enough leaves?"

"You promised you'd show us a surprise if we made a big enough pile," Snowdrop added.

"This has to be enough," Blackavar said. "Will you pleeeease show us now?"

Pipkin chuckled before turning to Fiver. "Who should do it, you or me?"

"You're bigger," Fiver replied, "go ahead."

"Alright." Pipkin led the kittens away from the leaf pile and told them to stay there. Then he stood in front of the pile before laying on his back and sticking his hind legs up so the bottoms of his feet faced the sky. "Watch Fiver you three, he'll show you how it's done." Sam and the kittens watched as Fiver lined up with Pipkin and the leaf pile before he began running. When he came close to Pipkin, Fiver jumped. Just as it seemed like Fiver was going to land on him, Pipkin kicked his hind legs back with a grunt, sending Fiver flying through the air to land safely in the leaf pile.

"Is it ready Fiver?" Pipkin asked his friend. Fiver nodded and Pipkin turned to the kittens. "Who's first?" Sam was about to protest when Gillia ran at Pipkin. She copied Fiver's jump and was sent into the pile. Once she emerged laughing, the other two quickly followed.

"Um, hey Pipkin," Sam said as he watched the last one, Blackavar, fly through the air, "Is that…safe? I don't think Hazel would be very happy if one of his kids broke a leg or something."

Fiver jumped out of the pile and walked over to the two of them. "Hazel did this same thing for us last fall, so I don't think he would mind."

"Ah, in that case…" Before Pipkin knew what was happening, Sam had picked him up and was spinning him through the air. Sam flung the little buck into the leaf pile where he was quickly jumped on by the kittens. Pipkin managed to surface just in time to see Fiver land behind him.

He turned to look at Sam. "Alright," he admitted, "that was a good one, Sam. Sam? Are you alright?" The others in the pile turned to face Sam. The teen stood with his arms wrapped around his body and he was shivering.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sam replied shakily. "I just didn't realize how cold it was."

Pipkin and Fiver looked at each other in confusion. "Sam, it's barely cold out at all," Fiver said. "Are you sick or something?"

Sam chuckled. "No, it's just colder without fur. It's actually starting to feel better though. I must be getting used to it." Pipkin, Fiver, and the kittens stared at him in shock, though he didn't notice. "My mistake I guess," Sam continued, "it's actually really warm out here. Like, weirdly warm for fall."

Pipkin knew none of the others would say anything, so he jumped out of the leaf pile and edged closer to Sam. "Uh, Sam? Are you **sure** you're feeling alright?"

"Never better, why?"

Pipkin looked back at Fiver, who just shrugged. "Well," he said to Sam, "you're…glowing."

"What are you ta- Oh." Sam looked at his hands to find that they were indeed sending off a red aura. His entire body was wrapped in red. Pipkin watched from where he stood as Sam turned to inspect himself from all sides. "Well this is weird even for me."

"Sam! You're red!" Pipkin saw Glade appear from behind Sam and run up to him. "Are you alright?"

Sam replied hesitantly, "Um…yes? I think? I **feel** fine. I just, oh hold on, gotta sneeze." Sam lifted his arm to cover his nose, but as soon as he sneezed, he jerked it away, yelling. "Damn it that's hot! What's going on here?" While he was looking at his arm in confusion, he sneezed again, causing every rabbit to jump back in fright.

"Sam," Pipkin said with shock in his voice, "you just sneezed out fire!"

"I…I did?"

"Yeah Sam," Glade said, coming closer while the rest maintained their distance, "that was definitely fire. What's going on?"

Sam thought a moment before responding. "I'm betting it's another rainbow power. Red is a color I haven't used yet, so it makes sense."

Glade smiled uncertainly. "So you can sneeze fire. That's…useful."

"I don't think this is all it's used for. Tell you what: I'm going to go down to the bottom of the hill, away from any trees, tall grass, or other flammable things, and see if I can't get this under control. I'd prefer not to have fire shooting out of my face at random intervals."

Glade stood up. "That's probably a good idea, Sam. I'll come with."

"No, you won't."

"But-"

"No but's Glade," Sam said sternly. "It's too dangerous right now. I already burned myself; there's no way I'm going to risk you getting hurt. You can come later if you want, but not until I'm sure it's safe, alright?"

"Fine…" she mumbled sadly.

Sam turned back to Pipkin and Fiver, "Tell the rest what's going on for me, alright guys?" They nodded and Sam walked down the hill towards an open plain.

Pipkin looked from where Sam disappeared over to Glade, who was still staring after him sadly. "He's going to be alright Glade," Pipkin said, trying to comfort the doe. "He knows what he's doing, he'll be back in no time."

She sighed. "I know Pipkin, but I just…"

"You really like him, don't you?"

"Yeah," she responded absently with a smile on her face. Then she realized what she had said. "I mean he's a great…friend."

Pipkin rolled his eyes. "Yes, **friend**. Don't worry Glade, I won't tell anyone."

"I…Pipkin!" She was going to say more when Hazel and Bigwig cam running up the hill, each carrying an apple in their mouth.

Pipkin ran to greet them, cutting off the conversation. "Hazel! Bigwig!" He watched as they dropped their apples and sank to the ground, breathless. "What happened? Where did you find those delicious looking apples?"

"Remember that grove just off the path to the farm?" Bigwig said once he caught his breath. "Well it turns out that those were apple trees."

"Oh wonderful!" Pipkin exclaimed. "Let's go get some more!"

Hazel interjected quickly, "No, no one is allowed to go there. There's a lendri there. It seems like it's guarding the grove. It's much too dangerous to go there. I know that the apples are good, but it just isn't worth the risk."

"I…alright Hazel," Pipkin replied with a grin hidden on his face.

Hazel nodded. "Bigwig and I are going to tell the others. **No one** is allowed into the grove."

"I'll let Sam know," Glade volunteered quickly. "You two can tell the other rabbits."

The three nodded to each other and walked off in different directions, the three kittens following their father. That left just Fiver and Pipkin standing alone.

"Fiver, I have a great idea," Pipkin whispered, even though there was no one else around. "Let's go get some apples!"

Fiver's eyes widened. "Pipkin, did you not **just** hear Hazel? There's a lendri there; it's off limits."

"We'll be fine. We go, grab a couple apples, then get out. That lendri won't even know we're there."

"We shouldn't do this, Pipkin. It's just like Hazel said: no apple is worth risking our lives for. I've seen a lendri before. They're nothing to mess around with."

Pipkin rolled his eyes. "Stop being such a worrywart, Fiver."

"Stop being so…**naïve**, Pipkin! This is a foolish risk and there's no good reason to do it."

"Fiver, I'm going. Come along if you want to." Pipkin turned and began to follow the path to the farm, which would lead him right by the grove. Fiver sat staring after him.

"Embleer Frith…" he muttered to himself. He quickly got up and chased after Pipkin. When he caught up with the small buck, he said, "I'm not letting you go alone."

Pipkin nodded and the two were on their way.

It wasn't long before they came to grove that Hazel had told them about. As they lay in the bushes trying to see if the badger was there, or at least if they could spy its den, the sweet smell of fresh apples hit their noses.

"Mmm, see?" Pipkin said excitedly, "don't those smell good?"

Fiver replied grudgingly. "Yes they do, but we need to keep an eye out for the lendri. **I** smell one around here. We need to be very-Pipkin!"

He was cut off as Pipkin jumped out of cover and headed for the nearest apple tree. Fiver sighed in annoyance and followed him, watching all around as he did. Pipkin dashed from one tree to the next, looking for the reddest apple he could find.

"Stop running around and pay attention, Pipkin," Fiver told him. "Can't you smell it? I think the lendri is near. We should go, now!"

"I see the perfect apple Fiver, it will only take a moment."

Pipkin headed towards a nice, round apple sitting on the ground. He didn't notice a rustling in the bushes nearby. Fiver was the one to notice and warn him.

"Pipkin! Look out!"

Pipkin turned back to see Fiver hurling at him, just before they collided and Pipkin was thrown from where he stood. Hearing a loud crash, he righted himself and looked back. He saw Fiver laying on the ground with his eyes closed next to one of the tall things the humans used to reach the branches in the apple trees. He wasn't moving. Pipkin was about to run to his friend when he heard a loud sound to his right. He looked, and there he saw a large lendri walking slowly towards him and Fiver. Before he realized what he was doing, Pipkin panicked and bolted into the bushes. He ran back towards the down as tears began to collect in his eyes. _I'm sorry Fiver_, he repeated to himself sadly.

* * *

Sam lay at the bottom of the hill looking up at the clouds rolling gently by. It took him all day, but he had finally gotten the red power figured out. Unlike the purple and blue powers, which were centered in his head, or the green power that came from the arms, the red power was focused in his stomach. With a bit of focus, Sam found he could use the power as a sort of heater to raise his body temperature. It would be useful in the approaching winter, or on particularly cold days like today.

"Hey Sam! Are you done down there yet?"

Sam turned his head and saw Glade walking down the hill toward him for the second time that day. The first was to warn him about some grove of apple trees.

"Yes actually," he replied with a smile, "I think I have it pretty well nailed down. Or at least I would say that I'm no longer a danger to those around me. Oh! I have **got** to show you something!" Amused, Glade watched as Sam stood up and moved further away from her. "Ready?" he asked. She nodded. "Alright, here it goes." Sam took in a large breath, almost until it felt like his lungs were going to burst. Then, he blew it out while simultaneously activating the red power. The result was a cone of fire almost three feet long shooting out of Sam's mouth. He continued until he ran out of breath and the flame died. He opened his eyes to see Glade trembling more than twice the distance away that she was before.

"Sam," she said, fear evident in her voice, "what in Frith's name **was** that?"

"Isn't it awesome?" he replied, not noticing her fear. "I can breathe freaking **fire**!"

Glade sat and stared at him in disbelief. Before long, she found herself matching his smile and chuckling. "That…was interesting. Just so you know, you might want to warn the next rabbit you show that. Most would have bolted on the spot. Probably the only ones that wouldn't run away would be me, Silverweed, Hazel, and maybe Pipkin. Pipkin! That's right, I came to talk to you about Pipkin."

Sam's smile faded. "Pipkin? Is he alright?"

"We don't know. He's been moping around the warren for the majority of the day. Hazel, Bigwig, Blackberry, even Clover tried to talk to him, but he just seems so scared. Silverweed told me that he can feel a great deal of sadness and guilt coming from him, but that was as far into his mind as he was willing to go. Do you think you could talk to him?"

"I'll certainly try. Where is he?"

Glade breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll go get him. I'm pretty sure he's been looking around for you."

Sam waited on hillside while Glade went to fetch Pipkin. A gentle breeze brushed his face, making him smile. The teen had come to love his time on Watership Down, thinking of it as a second home, and the rabbits as a second family. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard two sets of paws approaching him. Pipkin looked terrified as he followed Glade; it looked like it was all he could do just to make the trip down the hill. Sam began to worry as he saw his friend in such a state.

He moved close to Pipkin and knelt down, grabbing the little buck in a hug. He shivered against Sam's chest. "Pipkin, calm down buddy. What's the matter?"

"I-I…" he said haltingly. "Sam, you're my friend, right?"

Sam's eyes narrowed in confusion. It was a very odd question. "Of course I am. Why would you even ask that?"

"And you'd stay my friend? Even if I did something…really bad?"

Glade and Sam exchanged a worried look at his words. "Pipkin…what happened?" Sam asked calmly.

Suddenly, Pipkin began crying and pressed his face into Sam's chest. Between his sobs, Sam could make out, "The Black Rabbit…took Fiver…and it's all my fault!"

Sam gasped and pulled Pipkin away gently, making the little buck look him in the face. "What are you talking about?" he said calmly, but insistently. "Did something happen to Fiver? You have to tell me, Pipkin."

Pipkin looked away. "I wanted to go get some apples in the grove that Hazel-rah and Bigwig found. Fiver told me not to go, but I didn't listen, so he came with me. I don't really know what happened, only that he suddenly pushed me out of the way. I saw him lying on the ground. He wasn't moving. I was going to go help him, but then the lendri came. I panicked and…and…I ran! I just ran! Fiver was my best friend, and I just left him there." At the end of his speech, Pipkin broke down crying again.

Sam sat there, horrified at what Pipkin had just told him. He quickly shook off the surprise and shook Pipkin gently, gaining his full attention. "Listen closely Pipkin: you need to go up and tell Hazel and Bigwig right away. Tell them to meet us at the grove."

"I'm so sorry Sam."

Sam shook his head gently. "I'm not going to lie: you made a big mistake going there. But we don't have time to worry about that right now. Just go tell the others. Hurry!"

Pipkin nodded and ran up the hill. Sam turned to Glade. "Alright Glade, you're with me. Let's get over there fast and see if Fiver is still…alive."

* * *

The two ran as fast as they could, and in no time, they were in the grove. "Let's be careful," Glade said, "I know we're worried about Fiver, but we can't let our own guards down. There's still a lendri here."

Sam nodded and let the way. With their keen noses, it didn't take long to find the badger's den. They stood at the entrance and sniffed. Fiver's scent was definitely coming from inside, but to Sam's relief, they couldn't smell any blood. Just then, a powerful smell hit their noses. They backed up cautiously and watched as the badger made its way out of the hole. The thing was huge; more than twice the size of Bigwig.

"More rabbits?" it said in a rough, feminine voice. "Lucky day for Bark."

"Well your luck has just run out," Sam said hostilely. "Where's our friend? What have you done with him?"

"You friends of Fiver?" she asked.

Sam's eyes narrowed. How did the badger know Fiver's name? "Y-Yeah, that's right. Now where is he?"

"Fiver in den. Sleeping."

Without taking his eyes off the badger, Sam quickly whispered to Glade, "I'll keep her busy, you go see if Fiver is alright." She nodded and moved away from Sam.

Sam said to the badger, "Let Fiver go. We won't let you hold him captive."

Bark's eyes widened in surprise. "Captive? Fiver no captive, Fiver and Bark friends."

As she was talking, Sam noticed Glade slip around behind her and sneak into the den. He breathed a small sigh of relief. "What do you mean you're friends?" he said, hoping to distract her while Glade got Fiver out of there.

"Bark come out of home, see two rabbits. I want give them good apples, but bump man thing instead." Sam looked behind him at the "man thing." It was a ladder. "Man thing going to hit bigger rabbit, but Fiver push him out of the way. Fiver hurt, and other rabbit run. So Bark help. Now, Bark and Fiver friends."

Sam rose out of his fighting stance suspiciously. "You helped him? Why would you do that?"

"Bark hurt before, but nobody help Bark. Helping good, friends help. I like having friends. Bark no want kill rabbits. Bark like apples and other plants." Sam barely kept himself from laughing. From the way it sounded, Bark was a vegetarian!

Sam figured a direct approach couldn't hurt. "So…can I go see Fiver?"

"Yes, you come. Bark show you."

Bark moved to the side to allow Sam direct access to her den. Even though he was nervous, Sam figured that if she turned out to be lying, he could always turn human quickly and give her a face full of his new fire powers. He began to walk towards the den when a shout broke out through the night.

Sam turned and saw Hazel, Bigwig, and all the other members of the owsla, running towards him. Bigwig's face held no emotion and he didn't even seem as though he noticed Sam. He was focused on charging Bark, intent on striking the first blow.

"Bigwig! Hold on a minute!" Sam said as he placed himself in the captain's path.

"Move Sam," Bigwig replied, not bothering to use Sam's fake name, "we're rescuing Fiver." His words lost a bit of their fire. "Or avenging him if necessary."

"If you would just listen to me for one second. Glade and I have this pretty well under control. She's in there checking on Fiver right now. Bark here says Fiver is fine. In fact, she says that the two of them are friends."

Bigwig's eyes widened in shock. "Are you mad? Rabbits can't be friends with lendril! It's…unnatural."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Why do you keep trying to make this point about who we can't get along with when you have **me** living in your warren? Seriously, what out here is more dangerous or unnatural than me?"

"Enough!" Hazel yelled, breaking up their argument. "We don't have time for this. Sam, did you find my brother or not?"

"Not technically, but Glade's been in there a long time, which I would assume to mean that she found him safe. They might be on their way out now."

Hazel took a wary look at Bark before darting into the den himself, trusting Sam and Bigwig to control the situation.

"We should end this Sam," Bigwig whispered to the teen so Bark couldn't hear. "Our entire owsla, including you, is more than enough to take the lendri down. It would be much safer with her gone."

Sam shot back, also in a whisper, "**Or** we could wait and see if Fiver is alright before we do anything rash. If she's telling the truth and she and Fiver are friends, then we wouldn't have anything to worry about. Heck, she might even help us fight the Efrafans."

"Actually Sam, I think I agree with Bigwig." This came from Holly, who had moved up to join them. "I've lived my share of season cycles in the owsla, and I've never heard of a lendri that wasn't vicious. I think this is a trick."

"There's a first time for everything! Listen you guys, please. If it turns out that she hurt Fiver, then I promise that I'll be right beside you. But why are we trying to get into an, as of yet, unnecessary fight? What if it turns out you were wrong? Then we will have killed an innocent person and a potential ally. And why? Because of your baseless suspicion. If Bark had shown one **bit** of hostility, I might be more inclined to agree with you, but she hasn't. She has been nothing but welcoming to us the entire time."

Sam stared at the two desperately for a few tense seconds before Bigwig sighed. "Fine Sam. But you promise me, if Fiver isn't in there, that you will throw the first blow. You have the power to end it with one move."

Sam looked back at Bark, who was still standing off to the side, curious about all the newcomers. He nodded. "Alright, I promise."

They turned and watched the entrance to the den, waiting for someone to come out. They waited for a while, long enough for Sam to get nervous. What if he had been wrong? What if Bark wasn't alone and this was all some elaborate trap? What if Hazel was gone too? What if Glade… His chest hurt at the thought of losing her. She was his best friend – better even than his human friends - and he didn't want to imagine anything happening to her. Soon though, they heard voices echoing from within the den. Figures slowly approached the entrance. Sam counted. One, two…three! Fiver walked out of the den, leaning on Hazel to avoid putting pressure on the side that was hit by the ladder. Sam resisted the urge to tell Bigwig, "I told you so," and ran to meet his friend.

"You alright Fiver?" he asked as soon as he got close.

He flashed them a smile. "Not completely, but I will be. Thanks to Bark."

She approached the crowd, making a few of the owsla back away nervously. "Bark and Fiver friends. Bark help friends. Bark friends with all Fiver's friends."

Hazel stepped forward hesitantly. "Thank you…Bark, for taking care of my brother. Is there any way we can repay you?"

"Bark happy to help friends." She looked at Fiver and said sadly, "Fiver leaving?"

Fiver nodded and gave her a small smile. "I am for now, but I promise I'll visit Bark. You don't live very far from us."

"Good! Fiver visit. Bring more friends, like small human you talk about." Sam's eyes shot up when he heard that. He gave Fiver a pointed look.

"I'm sorry Sam," he said apologetically. "Apparently I talked about you while I was unconscious."

Sam sighed. "It's fine, Fiver."

"Friends, Bark has many apples, have some." She gestured behind the den. The rabbits looked around the corner and found a small pile of apples. Bark insisted they take some, so they did. They said goodbye to their new friend and began walking back to the down slowly, so Fiver could keep up.

"What's the matter Fiver, you didn't want any apples?" Sam asked. He had impaled an apple on each end of his staff and was carrying them across his shoulders.

Sam gave him a disbelieving look. "I don't think I'm going to eat another apple for a **long** time. Apparently, the lendri way to heal from an injury is to eat. A lot. I've eaten hrair apples today." Sam chuckled. Fiver wasn't even as big as four apples put together. It would be hard to imagine him eating at least five. "I feel like I'm going to burst."

* * *

Pipkin waited on the down for the group to return, hopefully with Fiver. _Please be alright Fiver. Please!_ He looked and noticed rabbits coming out of the trail that led to the grove, so he ran to meet them. It wasn't long before he saw who he was looking for.

"Fiver!" He ran up and nuzzled his friend. "Thank Frith you're alright! I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. If I had just listened to you and Hazel, none of this would have happened. I just ran and left you; I'm such a terrible friend. Oh Fiver, can you forgive me?"

Fiver laughed as he heard Pipkin speak. He had said all of that in the span of four seconds. "Pipkin, it's alright. Of course I forgive you." Pipkin smiled and the two nuzzled each other in happiness.

"Of course you **are** confined to the warren for the next three days for doing something so foolish in the first place." Everyone turned to look at Hazel, who spoke with a light smile on his face.

Pipkin lowered his head. "Yes, Hazel-rah."

Sam chuckled. "Pipkin's grounded and Fiver's out of commission for a few days. Does that mean I have to watch the kids all on my own?"

"Maybe Silverweed would help," Fiver suggested.

"What am I helping with?" Silverweed asked as he rounded the tree. Most of the group dispersed, leaving just the two of them, along with Fiver, Hazel, and Pipkin.

"Hey Silverweed," Sam greeted him, "wanna help me babysit for a few days? We made this awesome leaf pile this morning; I'm sure that'll keep them mostly occupied."

Silverweed looked a bit embarrassed. "Actually Sam, I had been meaning to talk to you about that. Why **are** the leaves falling off of the trees?"

Sam exchanged a confused glance with the others. "What are you talking about? It happens every fall."

"Ah. I didn't know; this is my first fall."

The group exchanged another look, this time of shock.

"How can this be your first fall?" Hazel asked.

Silverweed shrugged. "I was born at the beginning of spring."

Sam crunched a few numbers in his head. Silverweed had been born at the beginning of spring, probably around the beginning of April. Sam estimated that it was roughly the middle of October, which would mean…

"Silverweed, you're only seven months old!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Is that…bad?"

Sam shook his head. "No no, you just seem much older than that. You're really big and mature for seven months."

"It's always been that way," Silverweed said. "I barely remember anything from when I was a kitten. Actually, the first truly clear memory I have is of you and Fiver coming to me in Cowslip's warren. The rest is hazy."

"That's really strange," Sam said. "Don't worry Silverweed, we'll keep an eye on you. I can't really explain your aging, but I won't let anything happen to you."

He was about to reply when they all heard a faint gurgling sound. The group looked at Pipkin, who had an embarrassed look on his face.

He turned to Sam and said in a small voice. "Can I have one of those apples?"

Sam gave Hazel a questioning look. He nodded in response. "Since he's going to spend the next few days confined to the warren, he might as well have some fun tonight."

A/N: Alright, sorry for the wait on this one. I'm hoping the next one will be up sooner. Anyways, please review!

P.S: I just broke the 100,000 word mark. I didn't think this story was going to end up being **nearly** this long.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

When night came, Hazel and Sam sat in front of a familiar tree. It was the place they had met Campion many times before his capture. The stone was still there where they had left it, with the mossy side up, indicating "meet immediately." Sam, Hazel, and Bigwig had been taking turns waiting for him every night since his capture at Redstone, but he hadn't shown up.

Sam sighed. "I don't think he's coming. Just like the other nights."

Hazel's ears lowered in sadness. "Let's get back to the down." Sam nodded and the two walked the familiar path to the cave. They traveled in silence, each worrying about Campion.

"We need to do something, Hazel," Sam said as they emerged into the Honeycomb. "What if Campion needs our help? We can't just sit here doing nothing while he might be in trouble."

"I know," Hazel replied in frustration, "but what **can** we do? We don't even know if he's still-"

"What are you two talking about now?"

Sam turned towards the new voice. It was Hannah, the mouse that usually hung around with Kehaar. Even though Sam had been there for months, he hardly knew anything about her. It often seemed like she tried to avoid him. As a result, his greeting was fairly basic. "Oh, hey Hannah," Sam said, "we were talking about Campion. You know how he was caught by Woundwort?"

"Of course I do. Not much gets by me around here."

Sam chuckled. "Right. Well, we're trying figure out how to help him, if he's even still alive. We just don't know what to do, we have no way of knowing."

Hannah shook her head. "Of course you have a way of knowing." The two exchanged a confused look. Hannah sighed. "Me! I could sneak into Efrafa and see how he's doing."

"We couldn't ask you to do that Hannah," Hazel replied immediately. "It would be too dangerous."

"Oh nonsense. I'm a mouse, I could get in and out without any of those fur brains knowing it. And even if they did see me, I could easily get away from them."

Both Sam and Hazel wanted to refute what she said, but couldn't. She had a point: mice were known for their abilities to get into and out of places undetected. With a place as large as Efrafa, where the owsla was on the watch for rabbits, not mice, there was no reason she would not be able to do it.

"Fine," Hazel finally relented. "But have a talk with Bigwig first. He was a part of their owsla for a few days, maybe he remembers some kind of hole in their sentries that you could exploit."

"Oh goody," Hanna said sarcastically, "discussing tactics with Bigwig. He'll just **love** that." Bigwig never got used to the idea of having a mouse in his owsla. There was a period when the others thought the two would have a serious falling out. They had since patched thing up and worked together...more or less. But there was no telling how Bigwig would take the news that he was going to be depending on Hannah for his information.

"Absolutely not."

It hadn't taken them long to track the captain down. His reaction was…less than stellar.

"Then find us another option Bigwig," Hazel said, "because Sam and I can't think of anything. We don't want Hannah endangering herself either."

"**That** wasn't what had me worried," Bigwig replied. "Infiltrating an enemy warren is tricky business; I'm not sure if she's up to the task."

Hannah bristled at the insult. "And you think you are? I already know about that warren: there's too much security for you to even get to the entrance, let alone get to Campion. I'm the only way you're going to know." The two glared at each other for a few second, each willing the other to back down. Bigwig was the one to finally relent.

"Fine," he said, "you'll go. But I'm going with you."

"So am I," Sam said. "Just in case anything goes wrong."

* * *

The next morning, Sam, Hannah, and Bigwig crouched in the tree line along the back side of Efrafa. There had been no problem sneaking past the guards with Hannah going ahead to pinpoint their locations, only further proving she was the best one for the job.

Hannah had no trouble getting from the trees to the warrens entrance. One of the guards might have seen her, but he didn't so much as bat an eye. _Too easy,_ she thought to herself. She took the entrance that Bigwig had told her. There was a burrow where prisoners were sometimes held near the ledge where Woundwort gave his speeches. That would be the most likely option for finding Campion. If he wasn't there, she would have to check the prison burrows in each of the individual runs, increasing her chances of getting caught. She entered the large chamber and looked at the, from her point of view, massive ledge. Hearing a couple guards approaching, she quickly pressed herself into a crevasse and waited for them to pass. In little time, she found the burrow Bigwig had spoken of. There were two burly guards standing watch, a good sign that Campion was inside.

She approached cautiously. The guards were more interested in conversing with each other than watching the run, so she closed in with little trouble. They had a large stone, almost the height of one of the rabbits blocking the burrow. Luckily, it didn't sink all the way into the ground. Hannah found a small space that she could barely squeeze herself through. What she saw on the other side shocked her. She had seen Campion before; he was supposed to have been large, well-muscled, and lacking any kind of battle scarring at all, a testament to his skill as a fighter. The rabbit that lay before her was thin and malnourished. Along his back, which was facing her as he lay on the ground in a posture of pure exhaustion, were numerous scratches and other marks. One of his legs was pointed straight out, showing that it may have been injured in some way. He didn't move as she approached and he didn't appear to be breathing.

"Campion?" she called softly, fear heavy in her voice. He didn't answer. She hung her head in sadness and turned to leave, when she heard a harsh cough behind her.

"Who's there?" Campion said in a rough, scream tired voice.

Hannah whipped around upon hearing his voice. "Campion! Oh thank Apodemus you're alright!"

Campion stood on shaking legs and turned to face Hannah. "A mouse? Who's Apodemus?"

"Oh sorry, I forget sometimes. Apodemus is what we mice call Frith. Every animal has a different name for Him. My friend Kehaar calls Him Larus and-"

Campion interrupted her. "Wait, did you say 'Kehaar?' Isn't that the gull that's in league with Hazel and Sunflower?"

"That's him alright. My name's Hannah. Hazel sent me here to see if you were alright."

Campion gave a harsh laugh. "I wouldn't say **alright**, but the Black Rabbit hasn't taken me yet."

"They'll be glad to hear it. Everyone at Watership Down has been worried sick about you."

"Is Watership Down the name of your warren?" Campion asked. He stared off wistfully. "Sounds pretty nice right about now."

"We need to get you there," Hannah said, "and out of this place. Sam and Bigwig are waiting in the tree line. I can go back up there and-"

"No!" Campion said, cutting her off. "There's no way they could get me out and get all of us away safely. They'd have to kill every member of the owsla. And while I don't doubt that Sunflower has the power to do it, I don't want that to happen. Not every soldier here is like Vervain."

Hannah stared at him in disbelief. "Then what would you have us do, just let you die?"

"It won't come to that," Campion said with denial in his voice. "Woundwort has always trusted me in the past; I can get him to again."

"Are you sure about this, Campion?"

He nodded. "I am. Tell Hazel and the others not to worry about me. I'll get out of this."

Hannah didn't know what to say. She gave Campion one last pleading look before turning and leaving the burrow.

* * *

"They're starving him! He was so thin, and so hurt." Hannah stood in front of all the assembled rabbits of Watership Down, reporting what she had seen. "We have to help him, Hazel," she said desperately. "He'll die if we don't."

Hazel and the others listened to her report in silence, except for Primrose, who was trying hard not to sob. No one responded to Hannah's pleas.

"It's going to be harder than it sounds, Hannah," Hazel said slowly. "It's like Campion said: there's no way to break him out of Efrafa without injuring, or even killing some of their owsla. They're too many and we're too few. And with Vervain standing against him, I just don't know what to do."

They sat in silence, saddened by their leader's words. Suddenly, Dandelion called out.

"Hold on, I think I have an idea!" Everyone turned to face the lanky buck standing in the back.

Sam responded. "You know how we can save Campion?"

"I might. Do you remember the story of The Trial of El-ahrairah?"

Sam thought before answering. "I know I've heard it, but I don't remember off the top of my head."

"Then I'll give you the short version," the story teller said, taking a place at the front of the group. "In order to curb El-ahrairah's mischief making, Prince Rainbow forced him to take in a rabbit named Hufsa. Not very long after Hufsa came to live with him, El-ahrairah found that all of his plans began to go awry. El-ahrairah of course realized what was going on, but was afraid to expose Hufsa for fear that Prince Rainbow would devise something even nastier. But then Prince Rainbow planted a field of carrots, inviting El-ahrairah to watch. He couldn't take it anymore, and with the help of Rabscuttle, devised a way to steal the carrots, while at the same time ridding himself of Hufsa. El-ahrairah and Hufsa went that night to steal the carrots. But along the way, El-ahrairah's plan went into effect. They met a hedgehog covered in rose petals and singing to the sky for slugs, and a pheasant that was swimming, claiming it made his tail longer. The two were friends of El-ahrairah and had agreed to help him. After the carrots had been stolen, Prince Rainbow came the next day to take El-ahrairah to trial with a jury of elil. Prince Rainbow of course brought Hufsa up as a witness. El-ahrairah asked him to describe the journey they had taken, claiming that he didn't remember anything. Once Hufsa told them of the hedgehog and the pheasant, the jury thought he was insane, and released El-ahrairah."

Sam's eyes widened as he remembered the story. "Dandelion, that's brilliant! **That's** how we'll help Campion: make Woundwort think that Vervain is insane!"

"I have friends that will help," Pipkin said. "Yona the hedgehog would love to, and I'm sure Hawock the pheasant would help as well. We could recreate the story!"

Sam's eyes gleamed and he gave the group a wry smile. "Thanks Pipkin, but I don't think that's necessary. I like the idea, but I don't think it goes far enough. We want to make Woundwort think that Vervain had completely lost it. We have to go crazier."

Glade matched his smile. "What did you have in mind?"

"Oh, you'll see. Let's see, Hannah, Fiver, and…Kehaar, could I talk to you three in private?"

* * *

After a few days of preparation, Sam was ready to begin the plan. He, Hannah, and Silverweed were very close to Efrafan territory, preparing for their trick. Hannah was going to play an integral part.

"This was a great idea, Hannah," Sam said as he used a bit of fishing line to attach a square of cloth (both stolen from the Nuthanger Farm) loosely around her neck. "This wasn't what I had in mind when I said I wanted you to be Vervain's guide, but it's **so** perfect. So, do you think he'll believe that you're a…what was it? A hedge wizard?"

"Of course he will," she replied with certainty. "There are a lot of animals that believe in such mumbo jumbo. I can't think Vervain is smart enough not to."

"And you're sure you can pull this off?"

"Yeah, it'll be easy. My uncle thought he was one of these hedge wizards, so I've seen them in action before."

"That's perfect," Sam replied. "Now for the finishing touches…" He dug around in some bushes and found the other things he had taken from the farm: a match stick and the head of a tulip. He set the tulip upside-down on Hannah's head like a wizard's hat, then handed her the match as a wand. "Alright, I think you're ready. Bigwig and Strawberry should be pretty close with Vervain. I need to get to my spot to get ready. Good luck you two!" Sam turned and ran down the path that they had used to lay their trick, leaving Hannah and Silverweed there.

"Are you ready?" Hannah asked the mystic. He nodded and took his place inside a fallen, hollow log nearby. Hannah joined him while they waited for Bigwig and Strawberry to lead Vervain to the spot. The two had been sent out to intercept a patrol Vervain would be on. Their job was to get the patrol to chase them, lose the others, and lead Vervain to that spot. Hannah would take it from there with a little help from Silverweed.

They didn't have to wait long. They heard two sets of paws approaching quickly. One of them jumped off the log they were hiding in and shouted a quick "good luck" as they passed. Not long after they were gone, they heard someone else coming, this one much slower.

"Curse you…outsiders…" they heard an out of breath voice say outside. They recognized the voice as Vervain's, so Hannah nodded to Silverweed begin. Silverweed nodded and focused his powers. Since leaving Cowslip's warren, he had made a promise to himself not to use his powers to mess with others' minds. But seeing as it was for such a good cause, and that it was happening to such a deserving victim, Silverweed was able to make an exception. He used his powers to make it seem to Vervain as if he was hearing a low pitched humming noise that gradually got louder, while the log they were hiding in was spewing green smoke. As soon as they heard Vervain's surprised cry, indicating that Silverweed's trick worked, Hannah stepped out and began to act.

"Vervain," she said in a loud voice, "I have felt your desire and found you deserving of my power."

"Who? Wha-" Silverweed let the visions fade slowly as Hannah stepped out of her hiding spot. "Who are you?" Vervain asked in a panic. "What do you mean your power?"

Hannah struggled to maintain a straight face as she replied. "I am the mighty hedge wizard Hannah Bofanna! Using my vast powers, I have heard your desires to catch these outsiders of which you speak, so that you may deliver them to your master. I am willing to help you, **if** you can pass my test.

Vervain hesitated for a moment in distrust. _What if this is a trick? Those outsides already have a gull and a human on their side, who's to say they don't have a hedge wizard as well?_ "How do I know you're telling the truth, **wizard**? I'm a very important rabbit in Efrafa; you might be here to capture me."

Although she showed no outward signs, Hannah began to panic. She tried to think of some way to make him believe her trick. "I know how important you are; that's why I've appeared to only you. There are no others in your warren I deem fit to witness my magic. I can give you the outsiders."

Hannah waited anxiously while Vervain thought about her words. Just when she thought it wouldn't work, he said, "Alright, Hannah Bofanna, I believe you." He said with a bit of pride, "I really **am** the best one for the job anyway. Now, lead on!"

"Not so fast," Hannah replied. "If you remember, I mentioned a test. I must first take you down the Trail of Terrors. There will be two trials before you reach the end. At the end of the trail, you shall have what you seek. Do you think yourself capable?"

"Of course I do. Now let's be off."

Hannah nodded solemnly, then turned and began to lead Vervain down the path Sam had shown her. She was able to silently let out some of her laughter and disguise it while they walked. They hadn't been walking down the path long when they came upon some bushes with roses growing on them. Hannah stopped and turned to face Vervain.

"Now listen, Vervain. It is here that you shall face your first test. It is a test of faith. Believe that my powers will protect you, and you shall pass. Now I say the magic words: appraticus immedicus barkehrum!" Just like they had practiced, Bark emerged from a hidden opening in the rose bushes, covered in rose petals. She had a goofy look on her face like she was hypnotized.

Vervain instinctively jumped back. "A lendri! Are you trying to lead me to my death, wizard?"

"As I said Vervain, my powers will protect you. Even now I hold the badger in my control. Watch. Dance, badger!" Bark sat up and began to slowly move her front paws to an unheard rhythm. It was only after she had been "dancing" for a few seconds that Vervain worked up the nerve to move closer.

He starred at Bark in awe. "This is amazing! I'm so sorry I doubted you Hannah Bofanna, you must be a truly powerful hedge wizard."

"I know I am," Hannah said in a smug voice. "Now come, there is still one more test you must complete before you receive what you desire."

As soon as they left, Bark shook off the rose petals. Fiver came out of the bushes where she had been hiding. "Nicely done Bark. Thank you for the help."

"Bark friend. I help whenever Fiver need me."

Fiver smiled in response. "Alright, I have to get to the end of the path for my part. I'll see you later." Fiver took off down a shortcut to the end of the trail, rather than using the slow, winding path Hannah and Vervain were on.

While Fiver and Bark were having their conversation, Hannah led Vervain further down the trail toward a bog. The path went right by a pool of water, making it the perfect spot for Vervain's next "test." Hannah stopped again and turned to Vervain.

"Here, Vervain, is where you shall face your second test. This is a test of courage. I shall summon a great monster out of the water. It will be terrifying, as if you are staring into the face of the Black Rabbit himself. If you can maintain your bravery, you shall have what you seek at the end of the trial, behind the monster's domain." Hannah cringed inwardly before continuing. "Have faith in yourself **noble** Vervain, and pass this last test." Hannah waved her matchstick wand with a flourish and ran through ahead on the path, leaving Vervain alone.

Vervain stared after her in shock. _She's going to leave me alone with a __**monster**__? _He didn't have much time to reflect, however, as he soon heard a moaning coming from the bog. He watched in terror as a pile of seaweed began to twitch before slowly rising from the water. As the seaweed fell away, Vervain began to make out a wooden face embedded in the weeds, with two gleaming, steel fangs sticking out of its mouth. Vervain began to back slowly away in fear. _I…I can't get by this thing! It will kill me! I have to run, I have…no! If I can complete this test, then I can find the outsiders for the General. I have to try!_ He slowly lowered himself into a stance that allowed him to quickly break into a sprint when he found an opening.

Just then, the creature began to speak in a deep, foreboding voice. "So, the cowardly Vervain thinks he has the courage to make it past me? Ha! That's a laugh. You're pathetic. There's **no** way you'll ever find the outsiders you seek. And then you shall live the rest of your pathetic life in shame, because you wasted the one chance you would ever have to mean something."

Vervain shook his head, ignoring the words the monster spoke. _That's what you think._ He suddenly broke into a sprint and in an instant, he was behind the monster.

It turned to look at him. "Try as you might Vervain, you shall fail in the end." The monster then let out a mighty roar as a jet of fire came out of its mouth. Vervain quickly turned and ran down the trail. The monster stood motionless as Vervain made his escape. After about ten seconds, the "face" fell off, revealing two knife hilts jammed in the back, still warm from where Sam had been gripping them to hold the face on the body. He fell to the ground laughing as the seaweed landed all around him.

"Oh that was bloody brilliant, Sam," Dandelion said from behind him, also covered in seaweed. He continued in the same voice the monster had used, "Vervain is sure running now!" This only caused him and Sam to laugh harder.

"That was an awesome idea for the voice, Dandelion," the teen said. "I should have known the warren story teller would be able to put the final touches on my seaweed monster."

Dandelion was about to respond when Kehaar landed beside the two. The gull had decided to stay with Sam and the rabbits through the winter, saying he felt more at home with them than he did with his own kind. Sam had heard that his meeting with the other gulls a few weeks back hadn't gone very well, but he never pressed the issue. "Dat monsta scare stupid Vervain real good! But you gotta go Sam, he's almost to da end of da trial."

Sam quickly shifted back into his rabbit form so he could make better time. "Right, I'll see you two later. Oh, and thanks for helping me get all the seaweed, Kehaar."

"Yah, yah, now go!" Following the gull's advice, Sam took off running down another shortcut that lead straight to the end of the trail.

Meanwhile, Vervain continued to run down the trail until he found Hannah standing in the middle of the path. He skidded to a halt just before bowling the mouse over. He was able to look around before she began to speak to him. The area they were in now was much different from the path he had just been on, which had been dark and spooky. He was sitting in a natural bowl in the land, with a large rock outcropping stretching out over the opposite side. He was broken out of his inspection as Hannah began to speak.

"Ah, Vervain," she said with fake caring in her voice. "I am glad to see you are unharmed. And you have made it to the end of the Trail of Terrors! Here, you shall meet a friend of mine. He is a very powerful genie. In fact, he is the one who graced me with my own powers. Shmendrick? If it pleases you, I have brought a worthy mortal to ask for your help."

Vervain watched as a figure that looked vaguely like a rabbit approached slowly from over one of the hills. As it approached, Vervain saw that it was brown just like the earth and that it appeared to have giant leaves as ears. _This genie must have the powers of nature to look like that!_

Hawkbit, the one disguised as the genie, mumbled to himself as he approached. "…don't know why **I** had to do this. 'Oh, you look the most like a genie Hawkbit, you'd be perfect!' Yeah right, it'll take forever to get this mud out of my fur." He stopped talking as he approached Vervain and Holly and then spoke in as ominous a voice as he could muster. "Greetings Hannah Bofanna, and to you as well Vervain. I have heard much about your bravery and cleverness in this part of the world. And as a reward for your actions, I will now grant you one wish. What is it you ask of me?"

Vervain stood, quivering with excitement. _This is it! I've done it, I've got them!_ "Mighty genie, in order to please General Woundwort, I wish to capture the outsiders, Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, and the ithe they call Sunflower."

Hawkbit grinned. "Very well Vervain, you shall have your prize. Your outsiders are there!" He waved his paw, and the four that Vervain mentioned hopped slowly over the hill, Sam in his rabbit form. All of them looked to be in a trance. They stopped next to Hawkbit and stared ahead with no emotion on their faces.

Vervain was almost quivering in excitement. "I…I did it! It's really them! The General will be so pleased. Thank you so much Hannah Bofanna, and you as well Genie. Now, my newest captives, come along. General Woundwort will be so pleased to see the four of you."

They didn't move.

All four of them responded in the same, monotone voice, "We obey only Woundwort."

Vervain's face fell and he rounded on Hawkbit. "What is the meaning of this? Why won't they listen to me? I thought they were under your spell."

Hawkbit chuckled. "It's not my fault mate, you said 'to please General Woundwort.' Apparently the magic took that to mean that **he's** in control of them, not you. If you want these four to go anywhere, you'll need to bring him here."

"Fine, I will." Vervain turned to leave when Hawkbit stopped him.

"Be aware Vervain, that this place is separate from your world. The power of my magic brought us here. The only way to enter and leave is through the Trail of Terrors."

"That will be fine," Vervain said. "If the hedge wizard can lead me and the General though, it will not be a problem."

"I can't do that," Hannah replied. "The two of us only appear to worthy mortals, and you are the only one. I can lead you back, but you must take Woundwort through the trail on your own when you bring him. You must activate the tests again as well, or it won't work."

Vervain nodded frantically. "Yes, yes, that's fine. Now let's go! The General will want these four as soon as possible."

"Very well," Hannah said and turned to lead him back along the trail. The others waited until they were safely out of ear shot before bursting out in laughter.

"I almost didn't think he was going to buy it," Sam said while trying to catch his breath. "There were a couple of times when he seemed suspicious, and I got ready to grab him if he tried to bolt. Good thing he's so stupid!"

"This entire plot was top notch, Sam," Bigwig said. "We'll have Campion free in no time."

Hazel smirked. "Now, we wait."

* * *

After leaving Hannah, Vervain ran back to Efrafa as fast as he could. He got a few strange looks from other members of the owsla, as well as some of the rabbits out on silflay, but he ignored them all. It wasn't long before he located General Woundwort, resting within his burrow.

"General!" he called out loudly, waking the giant rabbit. "I've found them General! I have found Hazel and the others!"

Woundwort lifted his head as a scowl appeared on his face. "What are you talking about Vervain? How could **you** have found the outsiders?"

"It was magic, sire. A hedge wizard led me to them! Please General, you must believe me. The genie said that they can only be controlled by you, and that I would have to bring you to them if we wanted to capture them. Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, and the ithe are there."

Woundwort looked up suddenly at that. "What was that? You have the human? You have the messenger?"

"Yes sir, the one they call Sunflower that can turn into a human is there, captive like all the rest."

"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Woundwort cried. "If you have the messenger there, we need to go now! Get Campion, Moss, and two others and meet here. Go now!"

Vervain nodded and went to collect the ones Woundwort had told him. He sent a messenger to find the other three while he went to get Campion personally.

"Hello Campion," he said haughtily. Campion lay on the floor in no better condition than Hannah had found him in a couple days ago. He lifter his head weakly as Vervain spoke. "We found your friends, Campion. Now get up. The General wants you to come along so they can prove you were working with them. If I were him, I would make the outsiders kill you."

Campion's eyes initially widened in shock, but he quickly hid it. "How many times do I have to tell you, Vervain? I am **not** in league with the outsiders. If you really managed to capture them, then that would be a great victory for Efrafa."

"Save it traitor, let's go." Campion struggled to his feet and followed Vervain to where Woundwort and the others were already waiting. Seeing the two approach, Moss went over to support Campion as he walked.

"How are you holding up, sir?" he whispered.

Campion chuckled. "As well as can be expected, Moss. And I've told you before to stop calling me sir; it's going to get you in trouble."

"If someone deserves the honor, I shall give it to them, whether they have an owsla position or not."

"Enough talking," Woundwort said suddenly. "Vervain, lead us to where you say you have the outsiders."

He nodded and led the group slowly to where Hannah had appeared to him the first time. Their pace was slow due to Campion's injuries, so it took them longer than before. The sun was just beginning to go down as they got to the beginning of the trail.

"Sire, welcome to the Trail of Terrors. This is where the hedge wizard, Hannah Bofanna, led me."

Campion's ears perked up. "Did you say **Hannah** Bofanna?"

"Yes Campion," Vervain replied. "She said her name was one of great power, and that only worthy being should utter it, not a traitor like you!"

Campion rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, of course." _Hannah? Why would she be talking to Vervain? What do they have planned?_

Vervain led the group to where he had encountered Bark. "This is where the first test takes place. All you have to do is say the magic words: appraticus immedicus barkehrum!" The group stood there waiting for something to happen. Nothing did.

Woundwort growled in annoyance. "What are you doing, Vervian?"

"These are the magic words sire. When the hedge wizard said them, a lendri covered in rose petals came out from the bushes and started dancing!"

Campion and the others started chuckling when he said that. Woundwort was not pleased.

"Enough of this nonsense Vervain, lead on."

"But sire, if we don't complete the tests-"

"Now, Vervain!"

The small rabbit nodded his head and continued down the path with the others following. It wasn't long before they approached the bog where Sam and Dandelion had played their prank.

"Be careful, sire," Vervain said. "There was a fire breathing seaweed monster here. We have to be cautious."

"A fire breathing **what**, Vervain?" Woundwort said, barely keeping his anger contained.

"I-It was a…seaweed monster. Sir."

"Did it look like that over there?" Woundwort gestured behind Vervain. He turned to look and saw a mass of seaweed hanging on a bush with a piece of drift wood propped against it.

Vervain starred at the pile in shock. "General, that's not what I saw! There was a monster here, there was!"

"You have one chance left Vervain," Woundwort said coldly. "Now, where are the outsiders?"

"Th-This way, sire."

They continued down the path slower than before. Not because of Campion, but because Vervain was beginning to get scared. If Hazel and the others weren't there, there would be no telling what Woundwort would do. They approached the clearing where Hawkbit appeared as the genie.

It was empty.

Vervain looked around furiously. He turned to Woundwort and began to beg. "They were here General, I swear it! You **have** to believe me!"

"I have had enough of you Vervain," Woundwort said. "You two," he said, gesturing to the other guards that had accompanied them, "take Vervain back to Efrafa and lock him away. Until I say differently, he is to be treated as insane."

The two guards nodded their heads and began to drag Vervain away. Woundwort waited until his screams and pleas faded before he turned to Campion.

"Captain Campion, it appears I have miscalculated. You have suffered unnecessarily because I believed the ramblings of a madrabbit. You will be given time to recover, then you will resume your post as Captain of Owsla. Moss, you shall take Vervain's post as sub captain." He turned away and followed the guards and Vervain back to Efrafa.

Campion smiled and turned to Moss. "Go with them; I'll be along in a bit."

"Are you sure?" Campion nodded. "Alright. It's good to have you back…sir." Moss followed the rest of them out of the clearing.

Campion waited until he was sure they were all gone. "Thank you Hazel, and Sunflower. I don't know if you can hear this, but thank you." He slowly followed the others back to Efrafa.

Hazel, Sam, and the others poked their heads out from the rock outcropping where they had been hiding.

"Well," Sam said, "I think we can call that a rousing success."

"Great job everyone," Hazel added. "Now let's go home and tell the good news."

* * *

The group emerged from the cave and into the warren to find everyone waiting for them. They even had company.

"Hickory! Marigold!" Sam exclaimed as he came into the warren. "How have you two been?"

"We've been fine, Sam," Marigold responded.

Hickory continued, "As have the others at Redstone. Some of them have approached us in private and confessed that they think you can be trusted. Unfortunately, there are still hrair against you."

Sam smiled. "It's alright. Every little bit helps. Thanks for sticking up for me."

"You deserve it. So, how did your thing with Campion go? We heard what you were trying to do when we got here."

"We did it," Hazel said. "We were able to convince Woundwort that Vervain was insane, so he let Campion go. As a bonus, Vervain is now imprisoned."

"That's good," Marigold said with a smile. "We came to check in before winter started. Once the snow begins, there probably won't be much contact between our warrens."

Hazel nodded in agreement. "You're right. It's best to stay close to home during the winter."

"Speak of the devil…"

Everyone looked toward Sam, who was standing at the entrance to the warren. Tiny snowflakes had begun to fall. They melted as they hit the ground, but it was still an obvious sign.

Winter was here.

A/N: And now for a spot of bad news. I haven't even started writing the next chapter yet because of this online class that I've been neglecting. The class ends on the 29th of July, so I probably won't even be writing until then. Needless to say, it's going to be a pretty long wait for the next on. Sorry :(


	23. Chapter 22

A/N: Alright, a few things to be said about this chapter. First and foremost: I am SO sorry about the long wait! Having classes to take over the summer, coupled with two jobs and moving back to college left little time for writing. But things have settled down now, so I'm hoping that I will be updating more frequently (not that I updated all that quick ANYWAY, but still). Secondly, for those that keep track, yes, this is the Christmas episode. Some may be wondering why I wroth this one in when I've glossed over other sections and episodes that didn't add to the main story. The simple answer is that this episode is very important to me, as this was the episode that made me finally decide to write this fic in the first place. Alright, that being said, enjoy. And please review :)

Chapter 22

Sam awoke between Glade and Pipkin as he always did. It had been almost two months since Sam had seen the first snowflakes falling on the down. For three weeks, the snowfall had been steadily blanketing the down and the surrounding countryside in snow. Sam did his best to keep the hill clear of most of the snow using his red power, but he could not keep up with Mother Nature. However, he was able to keep the down relatively clear, for which the rabbits were grateful, since it made finding food much easier than most years. Easier by rabbit standards anyway. For a teenager from New York, it was still rather rough.

"Good morning, Sam," Glade said as she felt him stir.

Sam yawned. "Morning, Glade. How did you sleep?"

"Next to the warmest thing in the warren? I slept like a kitten."

That was another effect Sam was having on the warren. His red power seemed to automatically activate whenever he was cold, which happened a lot during the winter. A side effect of this was that Sam actually served as a furnace, keeping the inside of the warren relatively warm.

"Glad I could help," Sam said with a chuckle. The two got up, being careful to avoid rousing Pipkin, Clover, and Blackberry, their burrow mates. With the coming of winter, Hazel thought it would be a good idea for everyone to cram into as few burrows as they could in order to consolidate body heat.

Sam and Glade walked through the run into the Honeycomb…and into a mess of chaotic movement. Rabbits were hopping everywhere, some moving stones and other debris out of the way of the main floor, others adorning the warren with green plants, the origins of which Sam could only guess. Standing on the small speaking platform against the wall was Primrose, calling out directions.

"Yes Dandelion, put them over there. No Strawberry, the holly should go next to entrance, as a warm welcome to our guests."

"What in the world…" Sam muttered, taken aback by the flurry of activity. He grabbed the nearest rabbit, which happened to be Dandelion. "What's going on Dandelion? What's everyone freaking out about?"

Dandelion looked at him like he had grown a third eye on his forehead. "What's going on? Why, we're preparing for the Feast of Frith of course."

"Of course!" Glade exclaimed. "How could I have forgotten? It's Frith's Eve!"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, that explains **everything**. How could I have been so silly? What exactly is the Feast of Frith? And Frith's Eve?"

Dandelion sighed patiently before he answered. "It is a feast that is held every year by warrens that can manage it. We do it to celebrate Frith's Eve, the day when Frith begins his return journey back to us. It is when the days start to become longer again, bringing the promise of warmth and green." Dandelion slumped out of his storytelling pose that he had unconsciously slipped into. "Anyway, it requires some serious preparation to do it just right. Don't just stand there! Grab some plants; move some stones. Primrose will tell you what to do."

Sam and Glade looked at each other and shrugged, then moved to help with the preparations. Sam in particular was a large help, primarily because of his ability to attach the ferns and holly that the other rabbits had collected to the walls of the burrow with his human hands. They spent most of the day setting up plants and sweeping away the small stones and other debris that naturally collected. They were just finishing up when Sam noticed Hazel and Bigwig come out of one of the side passages with glum looks on their faces. Knowing that that particular burrow was where they were storing their food, the looks on their faces was worrying.

Sam and Glade hopped over to where the two were speaking with Primrose. "I don't know if we'll be able to have the feast this year," Hazel said sadly. "Our supplies wouldn't be enough, and even if they were, we wouldn't want to feed everyone on the scraps we have."

"Are you certain Hazel?" Primrose asked. "I would hate for everyone's hard work to go to waste like that."

"Unfortunately, Primrose, he is." Bigwig said. "It would be best not to use up the food we have saved. We might need it in case the weather turns sour."

"How do we not have enough food?" Sam interrupted. "There's enough to feed all of us in there, what's the problem?"

Hazel replied, "But there isn't enough to feed our guests."

"We're having guests?"

"Of course. We've invited all the other animals that live on and around the down. Shrews, moles, voles...they're all coming."

Remembering the crowd that had been in the down when they saved Pipkin from Efrafa, Sam began to understand the food problems. "Alright, I see what you mean. In that case, why don't we just go get some more? If there's nothing at the farm, we know where that greenhouse is, let's just go on a little flayrah raid."

Bigwig shook his head. "Not very wise. I've been watching the sky all day. There's a storm coming. It would be stupid of us to go out there." Just as he finished speaking, Pipkin and Silverweed passed by.

"It's absolutely the greatest time of year Silverweed," Pipkin said energetically. "There's food, and friends, and storytelling all night! You'll love it, I swear."

"That **does** sound rather fun," Silverweed agreed as the pair continued on.

"Although," Bigwig amended as he watched the excided duo, "we **have** done stupider things."

Hazel sighed. Though he knew it would be safer to cancel the feast, he didn't want his children's first Frith's Eve to be such a letdown. "Make no mistake, it **is** foolish, but if we can find enough volunteers…"

"That settles it!" Sam exclaimed. "I'll round up a few recruits and we'll be ready to go in no time."

Bigwig and Hazel exchanged a glance before they both nodded. When Sam announced the plan, a surprising amount of rabbits volunteered to help. Besides Hazel, Bigwig, and Sam, Dandelion, Strawberry, Fiver, Pipkin, Glade, and with a little persuasion, Hawkbit, all volunteered to go. Hazel did not like the idea of his brother going out in such bad weather, and tried to convince him to stay back at the warren. Sam had a similar problem.

"No, I don't want either one of you to go," Sam said to Pipkin and Glade. Before either of them could lodge a complaint, Sam pushed on. "It might get really dangerous out there. I looked at the sky, and I think Bigwig is right. There's a storm coming, a big one. Not to mention that with the weather we've been having lately, the elil are probably getting pretty hungry themselves. I'd rather not push our luck by bringing too many rabbits along." He spoke directly to Pipkin, "Besides, you're good friends with most of the other animals that are coming. You should be here in case any of them arrive before we get back."

Pipkin wanted to argue, but Sam made a valid point. "Fine," he huffed. "But just…be careful, alright Sam?"

"I will buddy, I promise."

Pipkin smiled and hopped away, leaving Glade still standing there.

"It won't be so easy to convince **me** you know," she said. "I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, and I barely know any of the other animals. What good reason do you have for me staying?"

Sam lowered his eyes. "Because I'm asking you to, Glade."

"I don't understand, Sam. I'm a perfectly good owsla soldier, and-"

Sam interrupted her. "I'm not asking you as a soldier, I'm asking as your friend. I would consider it a personal favor if you would stay back. Please, Glade?"

"I just…don't understand **why**. Why are you leaving me behind?"

Sam lifted his head and looked her in the eyes. "Because I don't want you getting hurt. I don't know if this is going to end up being dangerous or not. Heck, we might be back in no time with flayrah to spare, but I'm not willing to take the risk. I'm not trying to say you wouldn't be useful to bring, but I would prefer it if you would stay here. Please?"

Glade didn't know how to respond. Eventually, she managed to say, "I…alright. But you have to promise me that you're going to come back, Sam."

He nodded. "I promise Glade, I'll come back. I wouldn't leave my best friend alone. I'll be back before you know it."

Sam moved aside the stone they had at the entrance of the warren to keep out the cold, and the raiding group stepped outside, accompanied by Primrose, Fiver, Glade, and Pipkin. It was early evening, and the sun was closing in on the horizon.

"Let's try and make this quick lads," Bigwig said as he looked at the sky. The rest of them turned and saw dark grey clouds and the dark film hanging in the air. There would be heavy snows soon, probably accompanied by wind. "It's a bad night to be out."

Hazel nodded his agreement. "Then we'd better be off. We'll be back soon, I promise." He touched noses with Primrose and the group set off. Kehaar caught up with them before they went too far.

"I come with. Help you find vay back home in da snow."

"Thanks for the help Kehaar," Sam said. "So, where to first? The farm, or the greenhouse?"

Hawkbit responded, "The farm has had nothing for hrair days. It would be a waste of time to go there."

"Greenhouse it is then," Hazel said. "Let's go."

They continued in the direction of the greenhouse. It was a fairly easy trip at first, the weather wasn't too bad for the season, and the rabbits caught no signs of elil. Everything was going fine. Until the storm hit. Suddenly, they were buffeted by heavy winds and pelted with snow crystals. The wind cut through their fur so badly that they others resorted to huddling around Sam as they walked to stay warm. To add to their problems, they came across a fence made from three lines of barbed wire strung along some metal rods. The fence itself didn't worry them, but the fact that they had never seen it before, did.

"I think we might be lost, guys," Sam said as he stood tall and looked around, trying to see if he recognized any of the surrounding area. "I don't think I've ever seen this place before, and we should have been to the greenhouse by now. **If** we had been going the right way."

Just as he finished speaking, Kehaar landed in front of them. "Why you stop? Everyting okay?"

"We're lost Kehaar," Hazel said. "Can you get us to the greenhouse?"

"Ya ya, Kehaar **never** lost. Follow me, I lead da vay." The gull took off again and after taking a moment to get his bearings, he began to fly. The rabbits followed their friend as he led them in what was hopefully the right direction.

They walked for what Sam figured was half an hour. He shook his head as they keep following Kehaar. _There's no way we're going the right way. We should have been there and on the way back already._ His thoughts were soon confirmed when they came across another landmark they had never seen: a pond. The rabbits stopped at the bank and stared across the ice that covered the body of water. It was not a very big pond by human standards, but to a rabbit's perspective, it seemed like a small lake. Kehaar landed by them again.

"Why you stop now?"

"Kehaar, this can't be the right way," Bigwig said. "I've patrolled all around the down, and I've never come across this before. Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Of course I do!" Kehaar said indignantly. Then, a bit more subdued, "I tink. Or maybe…not so sure. Rabbits, vait here, I go-"

He was interrupted by quiet growling behind them. The group turned their heads and saw two foxes coming towards them.

Hazel turned toward the pond and yelled, "Quickly, across the ice!"

The others wasted no time in following their chief, except Bigwig and Sam, who lagged behind to hold off the foxes. As the rest of the group made their way across the lake quickly, the foxes spread out to try and surround Sam and Bigwig, forcing the two to stand back to back. Sam quickly stole a glance over at their friends, and saw that they had almost made it to the other side. He looked back just in time to dodge a blow from the fox. It tried to finish the fight quickly with a slash at Sam's neck, but the teen backed up to avoid the strike. He dug his claws into the ice and brought his hind legs around to deliver a powerful kick right to the fox's muzzle. The fox fell with a yelp of pain, but was quickly on its feet again. Sam could hear Bigwig fighting with the other fox, but while his own opponent stood, Sam could not afford to spare him a glance.

The fox struck again, grazing Sam's shoulder. He grimaced in pain. _Alright, enough of this,_ he though as he changed into his human form. He brought his staff around quickly and struck the fox in the side of the head, sending it sliding away on its back. When the fox stopped, it didn't move. Its chest rose and fell; it was only unconscious. He turned to see how Bigwig was doing, and saw, to his horror, that the two combatants were inching closer to a hole in the ice. The fox lunged, and Bigwig rose to meet the charge, planning to fall to his back and flip the fox over. Instead, he sent them both tumbling into the frigid water.

"No!" Sam cried out as he watched Bigwig disappear into the hole.

He looked around urgently, preparing to jump in after the owsla captain. He heard a bump on the ice behind him and turned. There he saw Bigwig, scrabbling furiously to get though the ice. Sam quickly moved to help him break through. He knew that cutting or burning though the ice would take too long. A plan quickly formed in his head. As Sam was gathering the energy for one of his green balls in his head, he prayed that his thought would work. Keeping the energy in his hand, he clenched his fist and punched the ice as hard as he could. He was surprised when his hand flew easily through the ice and into the freezing water. Sam grabbed a hold of the large tuft of fur on Bigwig's neck and hauled him out of the water.

"Bigwig, are you alright?" He asked as he shook the captain's shoulder.

Bigwig opened his eyes weakly. "N-N-Never b-b-better."

Sam hauled Bigwig to his feet. "Here, lean on me, Bigwig. We need to get you somewhere warmer."

"Come on Bigwig," a voice said on Bigwig's other side. Sam looked over and saw Strawberry propping up Bigwig's other side. He hadn't even seen the other buck approach, but was glad for the help. The three walked slowly towards where the rest of the group was waiting.

Hazel met them half way across the ice. "Frith above, Bigwig, are you alright?"

"Of c-course Hazel-rah," Bigwig responded, trying to keep the shiver out of his voice. "It would t-take more than a l-little ice to k-k-keep me down."

"Even so, I'll tell Kehaar to scout around a find us some shelter. We need to get you warmed up." He ran back and Sam saw the gull take off before they reached the opposite bank. The rabbits all huddled around Bigwig to keep him warm while they waited for Kehaar to return. It wasn't long before he was back.

"Follow Kehaar, I find good place."

Hazel nodded, Sam and Strawberry took their place on either side of Bigwig and the group continued on. As they walked, Sam saw a line of trees appear in the distance. But something was odd about the trees: they were in a perfectly straight line. The approached the trees and made to go around the tree on the end, only to come to a clear, well tended dirt road. Sam followed the road and saw a large house at the end. Kehaar led them to a pine tree alongside the road. Its branches hung low to the ground, weighed down by snow. Dandelion and Hawkbit moved to hold a branch out of the way so Sam and Strawberry could lead Bigwig under the tree. The ground near the trunk of the tree was free of snow, owing to the thick needles that caught the flakes. It was relatively warm under the tree. They lay Bigwig down close to the trunk as the other rabbits gathered around him again. Sam ran his hands along Bigwig's back, trying to use his red power to warm the captain. It seemed to work, as Bigwig soon became more active and aware.

"Thank you lad," he said to Sam. "I'll be alright now, save your energy." Never one to waste time, Bigwig turned his attention to Hazel. "What now Hazel-rah? Should we try and press on, or go back home?"

"Kehaar said he was going to fly above the cloud to check the stars so he could guide us back. All we have to do is wait for him."

Sam stood and turned back into his rabbit form. "Well I don't know about the rest of you, but I want to go take a look at that house. It looks like a pretty nice place."

"Are you sure that's wise Sam?" Hazel asked. "We need to be careful. Men are dangerous."

Sam just smirked. "I'm not all that worried. The type of people that would live in a house like that aren't the type to pull out a shotgun when they see a rabbit. They are definitely **not** farmers."

Some of the rabbits exchanged nervous glances at their friend's bravado, but eventually everyone followed him. Hazel reasoned that Kehaar would be able to find them easily enough. Sam led the way toward the large house. It was wide, almost twice as wide as the houses Sam was used to seeing in the suburbs of New York. The house was a beautiful ruby red, with a snow covered rooftop. Though there were three floors, the top two were dark, with light streaming out of windows on the first floor. As they approached, Sam saw that there were three marble steps leading up to a white door. On either side of the door were marble pillars, holding up a stretch of roof that blocked the stoop from the worst of the weather. Sam turned towards the large window, intent on seeing the inside. The snow had drifted high on that side of the house, allowing the rabbits to walk right up to the windowsill and get a good look in the room.

Even the rabbits had to admit the room looked inviting. There was red carpeting to match the exterior of the house, and ample, comfortable looking furniture. In the middle of the room, set into the wall, a fire burned nicely behind a grate. Sam looked at the far end of the room and saw a group of people standing around a piano. He heard them singing, but he couldn't quite make out the tune.

"They have a tree in their warren!" Hazel exclaimed in surprise. Sam looked where Hazel was indicating. In the corner of the room, close to the window, stood a Christmas tree. Sam saw all the familiar decorations: tinsel, lights, multi-colored balls, and a beautiful golden star on top.

Sam frowned and said quietly, "I didn't realize it was so close to Christmas…"

"It's quite beautiful, isn't it?" All of the Watership Down rabbits whipped around at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Behind them stood a cream colored doe staring at them with curiosity. "Hello, I'm Buttercup. Are you lost? I've never seen you around these parts before."

Seeing the others weren't going to speak up, Sam stepped forward. "We are, actually. We have a friend that's currently figuring out our way home. He should be back soon."

"Well, would you like to stay in our warren until he gets back? The weather is terrible out here, and you look like you could use a good place to rest."

Sam turned to Hazel for an answer. He just stared back with a guarded look on his face. _Huh, what's his problem all of a sudden?_ "Sure, thanks for the offer."

Buttercup smiled and nodded. "Well of course, it **is** Frith's Eve after all. No rabbit should be away from a nice, warm burrow tonight. Follow me." She turned and began to walk behind the house.

Sam turned to see that the other rabbits had looks of uncertainty on their faces. He shot them an odd look and gestured for them to follow as he rounded the house as well. Buttercup led them to a line of well cared for bushed a small distance from the house. As she led them to a square opening, Sam realized that the bushes were, in fact, a maze. Buttercup led them through quickly, obviously having traveled the path many times.

Sam heard a whisper behind him. Still following Buttercup, he looked back and saw Hazel beaconing him closer. He slowed until the two were walking side by side.

"Are you sure about this Sam?" Hazel whispered as soon as he was close. "Do you really think it's a good idea to just follow her blindly?"

"Well," Sam said hesitantly, "I suppose, technically, this isn't safe. We **don't** know her, or her warren. But does she really seem like the type to trick us? She's nice Hazel. Besides, if she wanted to hurt us, she would have been smarter to just leave us out in the cold."

"Perhaps, but what kind of rabbit just wanders up to a human warren with no concerns? Something is off about this."

Sam laughed. "In case you forgot, Hazel, **we** walked right up to the house too. Maybe she only approached because she saw us."

Hazel replied sternly, "In case **you** forgot, we followed **you**. I would have been just fine waiting under the tree for Kehaar."

"Maybe so, but can you honestly say that a warm burrow doesn't sound nice right now? Is something wrong, Hazel? You seem awfully uptight all of a sudden."

"I just…don't feel completely safe being so close to man," he replied with a sigh. "There was a reason we decided to live so far away from them. Just keep your guard up, alright?"

Though Sam thought Hazel was overreacting, he nodded his agreement. Soon, they reached the middle of the maze. Sam stopped and stared. In the middle of the maze was a huge tree decorated for Christmas. However, unlike the tree in the house, this one was dark.

_Good lord,_ he thought in amazement. _How did they even decorate that thing?_ Realizing he was being left behind, Sam picked up the pace and caught up with the group. _I hope Kehaar can find us again_, he thought as he entered the warren.

* * *

"Kehaar go find vay home, okay Hayzel?" Kehaar asked as the rabbits got Bigwig settled under the tree. Hazel nodded to the gull and went to help his friends. Kehaar backed out from under the tree and took off into the sky. He pushed past the strong winds that only got worse as he got closer to the low lying clouds. Water and ice collected in small quantities on his wings as he flew through the clouds, but Kehaar kept pushing. Soon, he broke into the calm skies above. _Ya,_ he thought as he appreciated the calmness of the sky, _dis __**much**__ better den the ground!_ Kehaar flew around for a bit before he got to business figuring out their location. Using the stars, Kehaar soon realized they had actually passed the green house. Positive that he knew their location, the gull dove back to the ground to reunite with his friends.

Kehaar found the tree that he had left the rabbits under and called out to them. "Hayzel, Pigvig, I find vay home!" When no one answered, Kehaar poked his head under the branches. No one was there. He looked around, trying to find where his friends had gone, but the wind had smoothed over any paw prints that had been left. Kehaar took off and rose higher, trying to get a better view of the area. "Hayzel! Sam! Vere are you?" Kehaar looked up and down the path trying to find any clue as to where the rabbits had gone.

Suddenly, a furry shape emerged from one of the other trees. Unable to make out exactly who the shape was, Kehaar flew in to get a closer look. It was a fox. Kehaar recognized it as the fox that Sam had fought with on the pond. "Hey, vat you do with Kehaar's friends!" he yelled angrily as he dove toward the fox.

The canine looked at him with a sly, cruel grin and licked its chops. "Wouldn't **you** like to know," it responded.

Kehaar's wings froze and he almost crashed into the ground before he regained control. "No! Evil fox, you lie! I find Hayzel, find them before you!" Kehaar flew off towards the house, the fox's sadistic laughter echoing through the storm. He flew all the way around the house. Twice. He checked the nearby grounds and the hedge maze, but found no sign of any rabbits. Growing desperate, Kehaar turned and flew towards the greenhouse, in case the rabbits had somehow figured the way out on their own. He approached the glass roof having seen no sign of them. Tears had begun to fall and freeze on his beak. _Hayzel, Sam, all Kehaar's friends…gone._ Moving slowly, Kehaar began his flight back to Watership Down to deliver the awful news to the other rabbits.

* * *

The entrance to Buttercup's warren was dug into the roots of the large tree, similar to their own on the down. The run wound through the ground, probably around roots, until it opened into a large chamber. Other rabbits were there, talking amongst each other cheerfully. The chatter stopped when Buttercup entered followed by a group of strangers.

"Hello everyone," Buttercup greeted them, "we have some guests this evening. Hazel and his group here got lost looking for food for their own Feast of Frith, so we're going to let them stay the night. Or at least until the storm breaks. Let's all make them feel at home. Willowort, show them around, will you please?"

A tall, grey rabbit hopped closer to their group. "Of course Buttercup-rah. Greetings everyone, you may call me Willowort. Oh my, are you alright?" The last was aimed towards Bigwig, who was again showing signs of hypothermia.

"I-I'm fine," he replied through gritted teeth, trying not to let the stutter reappear.

Sam sighed in annoyance. "We had a tangle with a couple of hombil and Bigwig here fell through the ice. Is there any way we can get him somewhere warm?"

Willowort was about to speak when Buttercup answered. "Of course we can. They can stay in the burrow in the back, Willowort."

"Are you certain, Buttercup-rah?" She nodded. "Alright. Follow me then, please. We'll get you warmed up in no time." Willowort turned and headed towards a burrow located opposite the entrance, gesturing for Bigwig to follow.

"Go with him," Hazel said to Hawkbit and Strawberry. "Keep him warm and keep an eye on him. The rest of us will stay out here for now." The two nodded and followed Willowort and Bigwig into the burrow. As soon as they were out of sight, Hazel put on a good face and turned to Buttercup. "Thank you again for allowing us to stay in your warren. I only wish we could return the favor."

Buttercup thought for a moment before she said, "Do you have a storyteller in your group? Unfortunately, we lack a storyteller in our warren, and it would be quite a treat to hear someone skilled tell the story of Frith's Journey."

Hazel and Fiver looked to Dandelion, who stepped forward. "I do believe I can help you there," the lanky buck responded. As Dandelion prepared to tell the story, the rest of the rabbits in Buttercup's warren gathered around the speaking dais to hear the story. Dandelion cleared his throat dramatically and began.

* * *

Glade stood at the entrance to the warren, shivering against the cold as she gazed out at the storms fury. She had volunteered to be the first to welcome the guests as they arrived to the warren, partly so she could contribute in some way. But mostly she worried for her friends, one in particular. She shrunk back against a particularly cold blast of wind as she continued to watch. Soon, a familiar shape appeared in the sky. Glade watched as Kehaar made for a landing in front of the warren, only to lose his footing and slide into a snow bank.

Glade ran over to the gull as he shook the snow and ice from his wings. "Kehaar! Are you alright? Where are the others?"

Kehaar fought tears as he spoke. "We should go into warren. Talk to others. Kehaar has bad news."

Although Glade's heart screamed question after question, she managed to only nod and lead the way into the warren. She pushed aside the rock and the two walked in. Because it was still early in the night for the feast, there were very few animals at the warren yet. Yona the hedgehog was present, a few mice from Hannah's family that lived nearby, and Darkling with two of his bats. Glade quickly gathered all the rabbits and led them to one of the side burrows. As soon as everyone was assembled, she turned to Kehaar. "Alright Kehaar, please, tell us what's going on. Where are the others?"

The gull fought down a lump in his throat and told them the story. He told about them getting lost, and about finding the pond. Some of the rabbits were very concerned when he told them about the fight with the foxes and Bigwig falling in the pond, but Kehaar assured them that that was not the bad news. He told them that he left the rabbits to look at the stars, and when he got back, they were gone.

"And Kehaar look and look, but no rabbits. I thought they lost, then...I see fox." Kehaar looked at all the shocked and apprehensive faces before him as he continued. "Evil fox kill them all! Fox was right there, and they were novhere." The gull finally broke into tears of his own.

Through her own despair, Glade barely registered Primrose, her kittens, and Pipkin bursting into tears. Clover looked crushed, like she had just lost her best friend. Fiver shook his head in denial while Silverweed tried to comfort him. Holly had a sorrowful, yet relatively stony look on his face. Glade was about to break down, when Sam's promise echoed in her head.

_I promise Glade, I'll come back. I wouldn't leave my best friend alone. I'll be back before you know it._

With Sam's words ringing through her head, Glade began to think. Something did not add up. "Kehaar," she said, quieting the sounds of mourning, "did you say there was only one homba?" The gull nodded. "I don't think you saw it right, Kehaar. There's no **way** that only one homba could kill all of them." Her throat threatened to close when as she thought of any of her friends dying, but she continued. "It would take an entire family of hombil to take on Sam alone, but with Strawberry, Hawkbit, and Dandelion there as well? Even Hazel can hold his own in a fight, and I'm sure that if the others were in danger, Bigwig would be able to fight, even if he **did** fall in the water. It just doesn't make sense."

The others quieted their crying and whimpering and began to think about it as well. Glade was right: it would take hrair foxes to stand a chance against the group. All heads slowly turned to Kehaar, but the gull was speechless.

"Kehaar," Glade continued softly, but kindly, "did you see any blood? Or," she shuddered, "any bodies? Was there any sign of a fight?"

Kehaar thought back. He wasn't gone in the sky for very long. **Maybe** long enough for the fox to kill all of them, if they did not put up a fight. But he was definitely not gone long enough for any signs of a fight to be wiped away. "I don't tink I saw anything. No, I didn't…I saw nothing!" he said excitedly. "Kehaar stupid, stupid gull. I must go. Have to find Hayzel and other rabbits!"

Glade moved the stone out of his way again and watched him take off and fly quickly. _Be safe Sam,_ she thought as she turned back to the warren. She was about to go back inside when she heard voices. Glade looked around and saw a large crowd of animals approaching from all directions. The rest of their guests had arrived. Glade let them in with a forced smile, too focused on Sam and the others to be bothered with pleasantries.

Primrose and Pipkin did their best to keep all the animals happy, but there were murmurs about "where's the food?" Primrose knew that the raiding group would not be back in time, and that they would be forced to send everyone home. _We might as well give them __**something**__ at least._ She approached Pipkin and ushered him to an unused corner of the Honeycomb. "Pipkin, would you be up to telling the story of Frith's Journey?"

The little buck was surprised at the question. "Me? What about Dandelion? He's our storyteller, he should be the one to do it."

Primrose gave him a small smile. "I don't think they're going to be back in time. I know you've been telling the story to Snowdrop, Blackavar, and Gillia, and they tell me that you're very good. Would you, Pipkin? Please?"

After some hesitation, he nodded and stepped up to the speaking platform.

* * *

"The first Frith's Eve happened early in El-ahrairah's life. It was during a period of peace and tranquility that Frith announced to all the animals that He was going to take a journey. Lord Frith would leave to seek out the secrets of the universe, for even though He is powerful, He is not the **most** powerful. El-ahrairah and leaders of the other animal species wished their lord well on his journey, then went back to their lives."

"All was well for a time, until El-ahrairah began to notice something troubling. Because Frith was leaving, the land was not receiving His life-giving rays. Flayrah would not grow, the air became uncomfortably cold and the rain and water turned to snow and ice. Soon, El-ahrairah realized, there would be no food left, and all of his people would starve. He traveled to the top of the highest hill he could find and begged Prince Rainbow to speak to Frith, and bid Him return. But Prince Rainbow could not. Frith had instructed that He not be disturbed while on His quest for the secrets of the universe. El-ahrairah despaired. But then, he thought of a trick that might convince Frith to return, and bring His warmth back with Him. El-ahrairah told Prince Rainbow that he himself held the secrets of the universe, and that he would share the secrets with Frith if He returned. Of course Prince Rainbow knew it was a lie, but he told Frith anyway, in hopes that El-ahrairah would be severely punished and would no longer be a thorn in his side."

"Upon hearing that El-ahrairah had the secrets, Frith turned around and came back. His rays melted the snow and ice and brought flayrah back to the lands. When Frith confronted El-ahrairah about the secrets of the universe, He was enraged to find out that El-ahrairah had lied to Him. Before Frith could punish him, El-ahrairah explained himself. 'My Lord Frith,' he said, 'I deeply apologize for deceiving you, but we needed you here. While you were gone on your journey, all the food disappeared and the weather turned cold and unforgiving. Had you continued in your departure, all of my people would have died.' Frith considered El-ahrairah's words. He agreed with El-ahrairah, and vowed that He would never leave the animals. He proposed this compromise: once every season cycle, He would again journey in search of the secrets of the universe. But He would always come back, so the animals would never have to worry. Times may be tough, but Frith would never abandon His subjects. So every season cycle on this day, when the days begin to grow longer once again, we celebrate and give thanks to Lord Frith for keeping us in His heart, and never turning His back on us."

As Dandelion's voice faded, Sam stood there in awe. Unlike the informal telling of The Trial of El-ahrairah, **this** was an official telling, and Dandelion hadn't held anything back. He changed his voice for each character, giving each a spark of life. The descriptions Dandelion used were so vibrant, Sam could see it in his head. He watched the land grow cold and lifeless, and watched as El-ahrairah shouted to the sky for Frith to return. Sam was so taken with the story that he did not hear the applause of their hosts.

"That was beautiful, Dandelion," Buttercup said, "thank you so very much. It has been many seasons since we have heard a story told so well. Lacking an official storyteller, we often take turns telling stories, but it just isn't the same." Dandelion bowed in response and again took his place next to Hazel and Sam. Buttercup turned to Willowort. "It's getting close to feast time. Collect a few volunteers and let's go get some flayrah."

"I'll come too," Sam said as Willowort left. "It's the least I can do to repay your kindness." Buttercup thanked him and the group left.

Sam walked in the back with Hazel, who had been unwilling to leave any of his rabbits alone in with the strangers. They followed Buttercup through the maze again, this time down a different section. They exited on the other side of the maze, the side facing away from the house. Off in the distance, stood a tree with a scarecrow propped up against it. On the ground were baskets filled with good quality flayrah. Although it appeared to have been sitting there for a few days, none of it was rotten. It was the best looking food Sam had seen all winter.

While Sam and the others walked up the basket with no hesitation, Hazel hung back suspiciously. "What is all this flayrah doing here? Where did it all come from?"

"Isn't it wonderful?" Buttercup replied. "Man leaves it here. For us and all the other animals that have trouble finding food during the winter."

"You would trust food left by man?"

Buttercup smiled knowingly. "I understand your concern Hazel, but there's really no danger here. We've been eating this food all winter. These men are kind, they care about the animals and want to help us through the hard times."

Hazel scowled to himself as he approached the pile and cautiously grabbed some flayrah to bring back to the warren. _We thought the elil killing man at Cowslip's warren cared too._ The group returned with the flayrah and passed it out among the rabbits there.

Sam and Hazel brought the flayrah they were carrying to the other Watership Down rabbits in the back burrow. They were greeted by the others, including Bigwig, who was looking much better.

"This is an awesome place guys," Sam said happily as he walked in. "The people in that house are actually good people, as far as I can tell. They left this food out for the rabbits and other animals around here, can you believe it?" The rabbits shared a few suspicious looks before Hazel assure them that the food was indeed safe to eat. Even then, they still ate slowly, being mindful of any strange smells indicating poison. Buttercup came and spoke with them for a while, but soon left so the group could sleep.

As the sounds of the other rabbits faded from the warren as they too went to sleep, Sam closed his eyes, feeling better fed than he had been in a while. Sleep was not to last though, as Sam was woken up by the sounds of his friends quietly talking and moving about the burrow.

"What are you all doing?" he asked groggily. "It's the middle of the night."

"We're leaving," Hazel whispered, "we can't stay here. It isn't safe."

Sam snapped awake at Hazel's words. "Leaving? Why would we leave in the middle of the night?"

"We can't stay here, Sam. These rabbits eat from the hands of man, we can't trust them. I'm sure they plan to betray us like Cowslip did."

Sam was confused. "What are you talking about, Hazel? So there are some humans around, so what? I'm telling you, the humans here are fine."

"I can't take that chance, Sam," Hazel shot back. "We've been hurt too many times by man already to tempt fate again. Men are good only for stealing food from. Let's go."

Hazel turned to leave when Sam jumped in front of him. "So that's why you're leaving? Because you don't trust the humans? Please Hazel, I know these humans mean us no harm. Why can't you just trust me?"

"I won't argue about this, Sam. Not every human is as good as you are."

"And not all of them are as bad as the farmer! With all due respect Hazel, you don't really know anything about humans. Stop trying to demonize all humans just because you've had some bad experiences."

Hazel was about to continue arguing, but thought better of it. "We're leaving, Sam, right now. Come on."

Sam moved out of his way. "You can go if you want, but I'm going to stay the night here. It's stupid to go out into the cold when there are no threats here. I can find my way back to the warren."

Bigwig was about to reprimand Sam himself, but a look from Hazel stopped him. "Fine Sam, stay if you want. If you prefer this warren, then so be it."

"Hazel, I didn't mean-"

"We're leaving," Hazel said to the others, interrupting Sam. Bigwig and Strawberry followed Hazel right away, both wanting to be as far away from man as quickly as they could. Dandelion and Hawkbit looked back at Sam, hesitating. He flashed them a forced smile and gestured for them to follow Hazel and the others.

"Don't you think that was a bit harsh, Hazel-rah?" Hawkbit said quietly when they caught up with their friends.

The chief replied, "He made his choice."

"Hazel, you know Sam," Dandelion added. "He would never abandon us without a good reason. Maybe we should trust him and take a chance."

Hazel sighed. "Let's just go." As the others walked in the direction he indicated, Hazel held Bigwig back. "Have you ever wondered if you're doing the right thing, Bigwig? I'm sure some soldiers have argued with you at one time or another. How do you handle it?"

"It's never easy, Hazel," Bigwig replied thoughtfully. "But if I may offer some advice? Even if you don't know if you're making the right decision, it's always best to follow it through. If you always stop and regret what could have been, you and others will end up getting hurt."

Hazel nodded, "Alright, Bigwig. Thank you."

* * *

Sam sat alone in the burrow, trying to get some more sleep, but failing miserably. _I can't believe they didn't trust me! And now Hazel thinks I've abandoned them for Buttercup. Fan-freakin'-tastic._ He was broken out of his thoughts as he heard the sound of at least two rabbits coming around the corner.

"Hello?" Sam recognized Buttercup's voice. Sure enough, she and Willowort rounded the corner. "Sunflower? Why are you here alone? Where are the others?"

Sam shook his head sadly. "They…they left, Buttercup. I'm really sorry about all this. They just didn't feel safe in a warren so close to man." Then, much quieter, "I thought they would have trusted **me**, though."

Buttercup gave Willowort a small nod and the buck left the burrow. She then turned her attention to Sam. "If they didn't stay, why did you? I understand them leaving, how we live isn't for every rabbit. Many are distrustful towards man and rightfully so. But why do **you** feel safe here?"

"Uh…" Sam hadn't seen this line of questioning coming. He couldn't just tell her the whole story. "I…was…born in a hutch, actually." Sam hoped he could lie convincingly enough. "So I grew up around man. Hazel and the others freed me one day while they were on a flayrah raid at the farm. It wasn't the greatest life, I greatly prefer living on the outside, but it was good for a few things. Ever since Hazel freed me, I've seen the harm that man can do to us, to all animals, but living with them for a while showed me that not all humans are like that. Some of them are kind. I tried telling Hazel that, but he just wouldn't listen."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Buttercup said sincerely. She hesitated before continuing, but came to a decision. "Listen Sunflower, if you were interested, there's always room in our warren for one more. Not many rabbits are as open minded as you, so we don't have very many rabbits here. What do you say? Would you like to join our warren?"

Sam was surprised at the offer, but knew he couldn't accept. "I'm sorry Buttercup, but I can't. Those guys are my friends, and even though we may fight, I wouldn't give them up for anything." A small smile spread across his face. "Besides, I promised someone I'd be back."

Buttercup nodded in understanding. "Alright Sunflower, I unde-"

"Buttercup!"

Sam and Buttercup looked in alarm at Willowort, who had run into the burrow. "What is it?" Buttercup asked.

"Our food! Hazel and the others took the food that we had stored away!"

Buttercup was shocked at the news, while Sam hung his head. _Really, Hazel? __**That's**__ how you repay their kindness? What's wrong with you today?_ When he snapped out of his thoughts, Sam realized that Buttercup was gone, and he and Willowort were alone.

"Buttercup-rah has taken a group to do and confront your friends," Willowort told him bluntly. "While they are gone, you will stay in this warren."

Sam grew suspicions. "As a prisoner?"

"More like…as a forced guest. We aren't going to allow you to leave until Buttercup comes back. Now, whether this means that Hazel has seen the error of his ways, or that she failed to find him, does not matter. You will be free to go after she returns. Rest assured that no harm will come to your friends, that is not the way of this warren."

Sam nodded in agreement, but kept silent. He followed Willowort out of the burrow and into the main chamber of the warren. Most of the rabbits were gone; only three does remained behind with Willowort. Sam wasn't in the chamber long before he heard a familiar sound outside of the warren entrance: humans singing. Glancing over at Willowort and finding him distracted talking to one of the does, Sam made his way to the entrance. As approached, he was able to understand the words they sang:

_Deck the halls with boughs of holly_

_Fa la la la la la la la la_

'_Tis the season to be jolly_

_Fa la la la la la la la la_

Sam smiled as he moved out enough so that he could see the peoples' feet, but they couldn't see him. _This was my favorite song,_ Sam thought fondly. _Molly's too._ Thinking of his little sister made Sam's ears lower. _I wonder how she's doing. Or my parents, for that matter. I wonder if…Hazel?_ Sam was broken out of his moping thought as he saw his friend dashing toward him, despite the humans in the way. As he brushed their legs, the people jumped out of his way, clearing a path for the other Watership Down rabbits, followed by Buttercup's group. All had a look of panic on their faces. Sam moved aside to let them all through, and looked to the other side of the clearing to see what they were running from. He was able to make out a fox, the same one he had fought at the pond. It had come all the way here! Unlike the rabbits, the fox was not about to wade in the middle of a group of humans.

"Mama! Look at the rabbits!" Sam smiled as one of the children in the group stared, wide-eyed as the rabbits ran by him.

"And look, there's a fox!" One of the other children yelled. "Go away you mean old fox, leave those poor rabbits alone!"

The fox was scared away by the children's yelling. Sam returned to the warren. All the rabbits that had gone in before him were lying in the central chamber, out of breath. Sam walked over to his group.

"Are you guys alright?"

A few of them cast grins his way, showing they were fine, if a bit tired. Hazel hung his head and didn't meet Sam's eyes. "We're as good as can be expected, considering how foolish we were."

Before Sam could reply, he heard the people outside resume their singing, and went back to the entrance again to listen. They were singing the same song as before, having started over due to the distraction of the rabbits. As he listened, Sam heard two rabbits join him. He looked over to see Hazel and Buttercup.

"What are they doing?" Hazel asked distractedly, as he too was listening to the singing.

"They're celebrating Frith's return as well," Buttercup said with a smile. "For the two winters I've been at this warren, the humans have come and made this beautiful noise. I think they're ready for Frith to return as well."

"Um, actually…" Sam began, but then thought better of it. _There's no harm in letting her think what she wants. Why should I ruin her good spirit?_

"You should listen while you can, Hazel," she continued, "it doesn't sound like you'll have much of a chance at your warren." She turned and went back into the warren, leaving Hazel and Sam alone.

For the first time since coming to live with the rabbits, Sam felt truly awkward sitting with the chief. "Hazel…" Sam began.

"I'm sorry, Sam," Hazel said, interrupting the teen. "I made a mistake. Distrusting humans **is** a smart thing to do, and I know we're going to live longer if we stay away from them, but I should have trusted **you**. You understand humans far better than I could ever hope to, and I should have believed you about these ones from the start. Can you forgive me?"

Sam draped a friendly arm across Hazel's shoulders. "You're my friend Hazel, you know I can. Besides, technically, you were right. It was stupid to walk up to that house without actually **knowing** anything about the people inside. I just got too caught up in seeing other humans again that I just barreled ahead. Tell you what: let's make a deal. From now on, I'll play it your way: humans are dangerous and while I'm with you, they shouldn't be screwed around with. But in the future, if I say that some humans are safe, you have to trust me, alright?"

Hazel nodded. "Agreed. Thank you, Sam."

"So anyway, what happened when Buttercup and her crew found you? I didn't see anyone bleeding, so it can't have been too bad."

"In short, she caught up with us, and yelled at us for stealing their food. And for not trusting you. Bigwig wanted to fight our way out, but Buttercup said we could go if we wanted, but that we at least owed her out attention. She made some…compelling critiques of our behavior. Our talk was cut short when the fox appeared, and back here we all came."

Sam nodded. "Well, it's good that none of you got hurt. I'm not going to lie, I was getting pretty worried, despite what Willowort told me about them not attacking you."

Hazel was about to respond when they heard a familiar voice yelling in the night.

"Hayzel! Sam! Pigvig! Where are you?"

They looked at each other in realization. "Kehaar!" they said simultaneously. The pair ran out into the center of the maze, the humans having returned to the house as they were talking. In no time, Kehaar had spiraled down to meet them.

"Kehaar," Hazel said, "where have you-OOF!" Hazel was cut off when Kehaar did not land on the ground, but rather crashed directly into the two rabbits, throwing a wing around each.

"Kehaar's friends alright! Kehaar so glad! Where you run off to? I look for you for a very long time, but you nowhere!"

"Sorry, Kehaar," Sam said as he pushed the gull off of him with a smile, "we got a little side tracked." Sam explained what had happened since Kehaar had seen them last. He finished, "So we're going to have to stay the night here and return to the down in the morning."

"Eh…Kehaar not sure if that's a good idea." It was Kehaar's turn to explain about what happened when he went back to Watership Down. Even though Glade was able to calm most of the rabbits, some of them, particularly Primrose and Pipkin, were still very worried. "Is nice night for traveling now. Storm all gone, and no other bad animals around."

"In that case, I suppose we had better get back," Hazel said to Sam. The teen nodded and they walked back into Buttercup's warren to explain the situation to everyone.

"Do you have to leave so soon?" Buttercup asked Sam. "It was quite fun having company for a change. Even if there **were** some…issues."

Sam nodded. "I'm sorry, Buttercup, but our friends are really worried about us. I know we'd prefer to just relax and start fresh in the morning, but we have to go back. Thank you for everything, and I'm sorry about all the trouble we caused."

"It's no trouble," she reassured. "This was certainly one of our more exciting Frith's Eves." She led the group out of the maze, but not the way they had come in. They left the maze from the exit closest to the food the humans had left. "Take as much as you like, there's plenty to go around."

Hazel and the others went to grab some flayrah as Sam spoke to Buttercup. "Thanks again for everything. Don't worry, we'll be back around in spring, after all the snow is gone."

"Alright," Buttercup responded. She blushed a bit as she continued. "Just so you know, my offer to stay is always open."

Sam gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Buttercup," he responded politely. "Alright, it looks like everyone is ready. We'd better be off. Thank you again for everything."

* * *

The night storm had calmed, like Kehaar had said, so the rabbits were able to make much better time on the return journey to the down. With Kehaar leading the way, now that he was able to see the stars, the group was home in no time.

"Oh thank Frith," Hawkbit said as they approached the down, "I don't think I've ever been so happy to climb this hill before. I'm ready for a full day of non-stop sleep!"

"I agree," Sam replied. "Their warren was nice, but it's going to be great being ho-" That was all the further he got as he was tackled as soon as they crested the hill.

"Oh thank Frith you're alright!"

Sam opened his eyes and saw Glade's worried face inches from his own. He heard another grunt and looked over to see Hazel similarly on the ground with his entire family piled on top of him. Sam smiled at the touching scene before he turned back to the rabbit sitting on his chest. "Of course I'm alright. I promised you I'd be back, didn't I?"

"You did, it's just…" she smiled and nuzzled his face, "it's still good to **see** you're alright." After Glade got up, Sam saw that the other rabbits that had been left had come outside as well. Holly and Silverweed were talking with Hawkbit, Dandelion, and Bigwig, while Fiver waited his turn to speak to his brother. Clover was speaking animatedly to Strawberry, who just looked guilty. That only left…

"Sam!" Sam was able to brace himself just as Pipkin leapt into his arms. Sam hugged his friend tightly for a moment before Pipkin began to speak. "I knew you would come back Sam. I just **knew** it! All the others were worried, but I knew that there wasn't a homba alive that would stand a chance against all of you. It's a good thing I was there, so everybody didn't panic."

Sam chuckled. "Oh yes, Pipkin, I'm so glad you were able to be a pillar of strength in everybody's time of weakness. And of course you were right, those foxes were no match for Bigwig and me. It's a good thing you weren't worried at all."

Pipkin gave a nervous smile. "Well, maybe I was a **little** nervous. I just…didn't want to lose you, Sam."

Sam gave him another squeeze. "I know, buddy."

"I'm going to see if Hazel and Bigwig are alright too, okay?" Sam nodded and Pipkin left to give his attention to his other friends.

Glade watched him go before she turned her attention back to Sam. "So what happened out there? That was a really long time for you all to be gone on what was supposed to be a simple raid. We actually had to send all the other animals home because there wasn't enough food. Did something happen?"

Sam gave her a smile. "The short of it is that we got lost, then Kehaar got us **more** lost, we were attacked by some foxes, and Bigwig fell in the water. Then we came across a human house, where we met a doe named Buttercup that offered to let us stay the night in her warren. Hazel and the others didn't like how close it was to the humans, even though I promised them it was going to be alright. So they tried to leave in the middle of the night, and I stayed. The fox chased them back to the warren, Kehaar found us, and we came back home. Simple as that." While Sam had been talking, neither of them noticed the others go back inside the warren.

Glade stared at him in shock. "You call that simple? That…sounds like a very long night. And I can't believe that Hazel and the others didn't trust you! Did they just leave you there? Is that how you got separated?"

"Not exactly," Sam said nervously, "I made the choice to stay…" Sam's voice drifted off as he became wrapped up in his own thoughts.

"Is there something wrong, Sam?"

Sam considered a moment before answering. "When I got to the house, and saw all the decorations around, I didn't realize it was so close to Christmas. Oh, that's kind of like Frith's Eve for humans. I just… it made me wonder how my family is doing. I haven't seen them for a long time. It just feels weird."

Glade smiled in understanding. "Sam, I think you're homesick."

"Maybe…"

Glade moved closer to Sam until they were sitting right next to each other in the snow. "But if it helps, you know you have a family here, right? We all care about you, Sam. I know you miss your real family, but we're here for you."

Sam smiled at her simple, sincere words. "Thanks Glade, I know I can count on all of you. Come on, let's go inside. It's getting colder out here." Glade nodded and the two went back into the warren, Sam moving the stone out of their way. As soon as the two of them were in the passageway into the Honeycomb, every rabbit there stopped and stared at them. Gillia and Snowdrop were chuckling to themselves. Sam and Glade froze under the sudden attention. "Hey there everyone, what's going on?" Primrose laughed to herself before motioning upwards with her paw. Sam and Glade both looked up and instantly began blushing furiously.

"Where did they find Frith's Breath?" Glade muttered to herself. Sam didn't hear her, too focused on the plant that he didn't remember being there before they left: mistletoe.

_Surely rabbits can't have the same tradition humans do with this stuff, right?_ Sam looked around. Hazel wore a small smile and looked at Sam knowingly, Bigwig and the rest of the owsla were looking in with excitement plain in their faces. Pipkin wiggled his nose around in what Sam assumed was the rabbit equivalent of making a kissing face. _Wrong again._ Sam looked back to Glade and saw her looking back shyly, an expression he had never seen on her face.

They both smiled at the same time and slowly began to move closer. Sam closed his eyes and chuckled internally. _My first kiss and she's a rabbit. I always knew I was weird._ As their noses touched, Sam felt a jolt of lightning surge though his body. He barely had time to register the feeling before it was over.

Glade chuckled. "Happy Frith's Eve, Sam."


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Sam poked his head out of the warren and inhaled with a smile. The scent of quickly growing grass met his nostrils. It was early spring and the majority of the snow had been gone for almost a week. There were still small mounds of it here and there from where it had drifted high during the winter, but for the most part, the ground was clear. The grass was benefiting from the sun and newly warm weather and was quickly coming out of its winter hibernation. The rabbits were only too happy to see this, as they had quickly grown tired of the tough, tasteless food of the winter.

The teen hopped out of the burrow, feeling the pleasant sensation of soft grass against his feet after months of nothing but cold snow. The other rabbits followed him outside, though he didn't notice as he gazed around and the surrounding countryside. Everywhere else was showing the same story: snow melting and green reappearing. As Sam was looking, Hazel hopped up beside him.

"Spring is finally here to stay," the chief said. Sam nodded in agreement. "That's good. There's much to be done, and the sooner we start, the better."

As soon as the weather showed signs of warming, Hazel, Sam, and Bigwig started making a list of things to do as soon as the snow melted. They hoped to meet up with Campion soon, to see how Efrafa fared the winter. They also had to check in with Redstone, and eventually, Buttercup's warren. After their forgiveness of his behavior, Hazel found no reason to cut off communication between their warrens simply because of distance. Kehaar assured them that he could lead them back to her warren. Fiver and Silverweed would go see if Bark was awake yet, while Pipkin, Blackavar, Snowdrop, and Gillia would go around to see if the other animals had awoken from their hibernation yet.

"I know," Sam replied. "Where should we start?"

Bigwig hopped over to them, having heard their conversation. "Well, we can't meet Campion until nightfall anyway, so I'd say we should make Redstone our first stop. We can let the others see to their duties as they see fit." Hazel and Sam gave Bigwig an odd glance. He was not usually so…lenient.

Hazel nodded in agreement. "That sounds fine. But are you really sure Pipkin and the kittens should be going all about the down alone? What if something happens? Would it really hurt to send someone with them?" Hazel was naturally worried about his children. Sam and Bigwig felt they would be perfectly safe as long as they stayed on the down, but Hazel could not keep from worrying.

Sam was quick to respond. "Of course they will. Think about it: we never thought twice when Pipkin was going around on his own, so why should this be any different? They'll be happy because you're giving them more freedom, and Pipkin will be happy because he'll be in charge. You know how annoyed he is that we still treat him like a kid."

Over the course of the winter, Pipkin had been hell bent on proving his maturity to the older rabbits. Sam, who had grown up with a younger sibling, was able to tolerate his behavior. But as the end of winter neared, there were no shortage of rabbits that had had their fill of the youngster.

Hazel sighed in defeat. "I suppose you're right. Anyway, let's get started on-"

He was interrupted when Strawberry approached the group. "Hazel, there's someone from Redstone here to see us. He says it's important."

Immediately dreaming up the worst scenarios, Hazel, Sam, and Bigwig rushed to follow Strawberry as he lead them to the messenger. They rounded the tree to find a white, medium sized buck looking around with apprehension. His nervousness only increased as he saw the group approach, but he showed no signs of bolting.

"H-Hello," he began quietly as they approached. "My name is Leafless. I was send here by Hickory-rah and Marigold to ask you something. I, um, they…well, it's Marigold really, but Hickory wants you to come too, and, I…"

Sam gave him a soft smile. "It's alright, you can tell us. There's really nothing to worry about here."

Taking heart at Sam's words, Leafless cleared his throat. "Hickory and Marigold want to invite you to our warren. You see, they had kittens recently, and Marigold wants them to see the heroes that gave us a chance at a real life. They said whoever wanted to could come, but they insisted that Hazel, Strawberry, and Sunf-I mean Sam come."

Hazel was about to respond when Sam interrupted him. "Wait, they want me to come? What about the rest of your warren? Aren't there still a lot that are scared of me?"

"There are still some," he admitted. "But most of us are willing to give you a chance. I mean, you helped us when you had no reason to. I've heard from the chief that it wasn't even Hazel's idea to help us, it was yours. To me, and many others, that means a lot. There are some that are stubborn and refuse to trust you, but Marigold was very adamant. There were complaints, but Hickory-rah wouldn't hear it. He said anyone who absolutely could not stand you could either leave, or take it up with him. You won't have to worry about being hassled while you're a guest at Redstone."

This information stunned Sam. _They did that? For me?_

Seeing Sam unable to answer, Hazel turned to Leafless. "That…is very generous of them. Of course we'd be honored to come. Just let me spread the word to the others and we can leave."

Hazel shook Sam out of his stupor and the two went to ask the other rabbits who would be interested in going. Fifteen minutes later, the assembled group made returned to Leafless and they left for Redstone. Beside the three that Marigold wanted to come, Glade, Primrose, Blackberry, Bigwig, Fiver, Pipkin, and Clover went along as well.

The walk was pleasant with no encounters with elil. Hazel and some of the others asked Leafless how the warren had fared over the winter, but Sam didn't hear his response. He was too nervous about going to Redstone again. _What is Leafless was wrong?_ he thought. _What if the other rabbits are just lying to Marigold and Hickory and biding their time until I'm trapped inside the warren? What do I do if they jump us down there? I don't want to hurt them, but-_

Caught in this own thoughts, he didn't notice Glade make her way to the back of the group where he had been walking. She nudged him lightly to get his attention. "Hey, are you alright? You're awfully quiet; I thought you'd be excited about this."

Sam contemplated lying and telling her everything was fine, but decided against it. "I'm just scared. I mean, what if this is a trap or something? I don't think Hickory or Marigold would do anything like that, but I can't be sure about the others. If it was just me, it wouldn't be that big of a deal, but I don't want any of you getting hurt."

Glade gave him a light smile. "You're worrying too much, Sam. Why would they attack you, or any of us? After what you did for them, is it really so hard to believe that they would be grateful, after the initial shock of you being human wore off? You just need to calm down and stop worrying so much."

He sighed. "I'll sure try."

They walked behind the group in companionable silence until Sam saw that they were getting close to Redstone. They came out of the bushes and saw the familiar red boulders that flanked the warrens entrance. There were rabbits out on silflay, some of which Sam thought he might have remembered seeing. As their group got closer, all of the rabbits stopped and starred, which only increased Sam's apprehension. One of the rabbits broke away from the others and came towards them.

"Hello everyone, I'm so glad you came." It took Hazel and the other a moment before they recognized the rabbit. It was Hickory. The last time Sam had seen him, Hickory had been leaner than most of the Redstone rabbits. The easy life of Cowslip's warren had still left him a bit pudgy, but the winter had taken its toll, and had stripped his excess fat way, leaving wiry muscle. He did not look as strong as Bigwig or Strawberry, but he looked like a rabbit that could handle himself.

"Of course we came," Hazel replied. "We had to come and congratulate you and Marigold. Having kittens is…truly wonderful."

Hickory smiled and nodded, then turned his attention to Sam. "And you Sam, it's very good to see you at Redstone. It's been quite a while since you've been here."

"Uh, yeah…" the teen responded awkwardly. Both he and Glade had averted their eyes when Hickory brought up their last visit. The one in which they had to destroy the warren to fool Woundwort.

"Anyway," Hickory continued cheerfully, oblivious to Sam's discomfort, "let me show you inside. Just a few at a time please; the kittens are still getting used to the fact that there are other rabbits in the world beside Marigold and me."

After a bit of deliberation, Sam, Hazel, Glade, and Primrose followed Hickory into the warren, leaving the others outside to converse with the Redstone rabbits. Sam was leading the Watership Down group as they followed Hickory into the warren. He glanced around at the runs, remembering the state he and Glade had left them in the last time they were there. The Redstone rabbits had repaired all the damage, and Sam thought the warren looked better than the first time he had visited it. Because he was gawking around, Sam almost ran into Hickory as he stopped in front of a burrow.

"Here we are," Hickory said proudly. "I'll let Marigold know you're here."

Their burrow was second from the entrance to the warren. In fact, he could clearly see the sky from where he was standing. _Well that's…not very good._ He was about to voice his concerns to Hazel when Hickory returned.

"Go on, she's ready for you." Sam nodded and led the way in. As they rounded a corner, they saw Marigold lying on the ground with four small figures at her side.

"Sam, everyone, I'm so glad you came," she said softly, so as to not wake the sleeping kittens. "I was worried you wouldn't after the rest of the warren stormed off of Watership Down."

"We wouldn't miss it, Marigold," Sam reassured her, setting his worries aside for the time being. "Congratulations. I'm sure the two of you will make great parents." The other rabbits agreed and spoke to the two for a bit before sending in the next group.

Sam held back at the entrance to the burrow. "Glade," he called after the doe, "will you make sure Bigwig comes in with the next group? I need to talk to him."

Although she did not understand, she agreed. Sam waited, but it wasn't long before Bigwig came into the warren, followed by Clover, Blackberry, and Strawberry. Bigwig stayed with Sam while the other three went into the burrow.

"Glade said you needed me for something, Sam?"

"Yeah, thanks Bigwig," the teen replied. "Quick question, and maybe this is just me being paranoid, but isn't this a bit close to the entrance for them to be keeping babies in?"

Bigwig looked behind him and saw what Sam meant.

The captain nodded his head. "You're absolutely right it is. Why would they make such a foolish mistake? Didn't they listen to anything we taught them?"

"Well hold on Bigwig, let's just talk to them and let them know our concerns. For now, why don't you head in there and give your congratulations to the new parents."

Bigwig nodded and went into the burrow just as Clover and Strawberry walked out. Sam went outside and joined the other rabbits from Watership Down as they conversed with the Redstone rabbits. Leafless had been telling the truth: most of the rabbits were perfectly friendly with Sam, even if they were a bit shy at first. Many of them said the "thank you"s they had not had the chance to before the winter started: so much so that Sam was getting embarrassed. While he mingled with the rabbits from Redstone, Sam noticed some of them looked ragged and frequently darted their heads around, as if looking for elil. Before Sam could mention it to Hazel, Hickory came out of the warren, followed by Fiver and Pipkin, the last of the two to see the new kittens. Seeing the chief's exit, Sam and Bigwig exchanged a nod and approached him.

"Hickory," Sam said as they approached, "we need to talk to you about something."

"Of course, what do you need?"

Sam was about to continue when Bigwig interrupted. "Do you care about your new family, Hickory?"

Sam's head fell. _Damn it Bigwig…_

Hickory's face hardened noticeably. "I don't quite understand what you're talking about, Bigwig."

"Well see, what he means is-" Sam began, until he was interrupted.

"What I **mean** is that you have them living where elil could make a quick meal out of them! They're in an utterly undefended burrow right at the entrance of your warren!"

While Bigwig talked, Hickory grew more and more serious until he stood straight and glared back at Bigwig with a severity Sam would not have thought possible from the lanky chief.

"I have heard enough from you, Bigwig," Hickory said in a commanding voice. "If this is the kind of gratitude we can expect from you, I think you should just go. Leave Redstone, Bigwig. Now."

Bigwig was about to snap back when Sam clamped his paw over the captain's mouth. "Just do it, Bigwig," Sam whispered. "Just go, talk to Hazel, and head back to the down. You need to cool off before you say something you'll regret." Bigwig looked insulted, but Sam pressed on. "Just trust me. I'll talk to Hickory and get him calmed down. Please Bigwig, just, leave this one to me." The captain and Hickory glared at each other for a moment, and Sam was worried that Bigwig would not listen to him. But Bigwig just nodded and left the warren. Sam breathed a sigh of relief as he turned back to Hickory, only to be met with the same fierce stare he gave Bigwig.

"Don't think you will receive special treatment just because you helped us, Sam. If you make it necessary, I will have no problems excusing you as well."

Sam took a deep breath before he spoke. "Not at all Hickory, I just want to talk. Even though he lacks any sort of tact, Bigwig **is** right you know. And I agree with him. To be safe, Marigold and your kittens should be further back in the warren, where they wouldn't make such easy targets for elil."

"I know what I'm doing, Sam," Hickory said. "We have yet to meet with any elil that our owsla couldn't deal with. There is no danger inside the warren."

Sam decided to try a different approach. "Do you have to deal with elil here often?"

"No more so than Hazel says a normal warren does," Hickory responded. "But like I said, our owsla has been able to drive away any elil, and we haven't lost one rabbit."

Sam nodded before responding. "Fine, I see your point, but may I show you how we do things on the down?"

Hickory gave a guarded nod so Sam continued.

"We have one entrance, just like you. And flanking that one run are four burrows, two on each side. We have the owsla live there. Me, Glade, Bigwig, and Strawberry are in the first two, while Hawkbit, Dandelion, and Strawberry are in the next two. The reason we do that is so that if any threat ever comes to the warren, it has to go through our fighters first. And in the very back of the warren, even behind where the does, and the bucks that can't fight live, are Hazel, Primrose, and their kittens. It was Bigwig's idea, although he had to argue a long time with Hazel to get him to agree. The chief and his family are the most important members of the warren, and they must be protected. And unlike you, we don't even deal with elil. We have never had any threat come to the down, but we still have those precautions set up."

Hickory's face softened. "If that's the way you choose to do things, that's up to you." He averted his eyes. "But I don't want anyone in Redstone to think that Marigold and I value our own lives over theirs. We live close to the entrance to show our support of our owsla's skill."

"And that's a fine sentiment, but I think you should ask your owsla about it. While I was waiting for everyone to finish visiting Buttercup, I had a chance to speak with some of the rabbits here. Your owsla is exhausted, Hickory. They're so worried about you and Marigold that they're working themselves too hard. I imagine you having the new kittens isn't helping any either."

Confusion spread across Hickory's face. "That can't…are you sure?"

Sam nodded. "Ask one of the rabbits from your owsla if you don't believe me. Make sure it's someone that will tell the truth, though."

"Fine, I'll do that. Wait here please." Sam nodded and Hickory exited the warren. In no time, he returned with the rabbit that had accompanied them to Redstone, Leafless. "I believe you already know my Captain of Owsla?"

Sam gawked when he heard that. _**He's**__ their owsla captain?"_

Hickory chuckled at Sam's reaction. "I know what you're thinking, but he's really the best one for it. Though he might be soft-spoken, and a bit nervous at times, he's the best fighter in the warren. And he had a sharp mind for defense." Sam shrugged and nodded his agreement. Who was he to judge a rabbit he barely knew? "Now Leafless," Hickory continued, turning to the captain, "I brought you in here to ask you honest opinion on something. I want you to tell me exactly what you think; you won't be punished in any way." Leafless nodded. "Alright. What do you think about Marigold, myself and our kittens living in the burrow we do now instead of, say, the burrow in the back?"

Leafless looked a bit nervous at the question and glanced Sam's way. The teen gave him a small nod, which Leafless returned. "Well Hickory," he began hesitantly, but his voice shifted to one filled with authority, "I think it's absolutely foolish." Hickory's eyes widened in surprise and Sam had a small smile on his face. "Having the two of you so close to the entrance, so close to any potential danger was bad enough when it was just the two of you, but with your new kittens? It's so reckless that if I didn't know you better, I'd think you were **trying** to put yourselves in danger. The rest of the owsla feels the same way. Because you're so close to the surface, we have to be on perfect guard all the time. One slip up could easily be devastating. If it were up me, the two of you would have been in the furthest burrow in the back of the warren the very day you made me captain. Is that a satisfactory answer?"

Hickory had a passive look on his face and nodded his head. "That will do, thank you Leafless." The captain nodded and left the run. Hickory turned back to Sam with an embarrassed look on his face. "I…guess you were right. Again. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, Sam."

"Don't worry about it Hickory; I'm just glad we were able to help before anything bad **did** happen. With your owsla running out of energy, it was only a matter of time before a mistake would have been made. And in your defense, Bigwig wasn't really the best one to help convince you that there was a better way. He knows what he's doing, but he can be very abrasive sometimes. But I still wouldn't have anyone else in charge of the owsla."

Hickory hung his head at the captain's name. "Right, Bigwig. I suppose I should apologize to him."

"He's already on his way back to the down. And for right now, that's probably for the best. It will give you both a chance to cool down, and when you see each other next, you'll both have level heads."

Hickory nodded and the pair exited the warren. Hazel decided it would probably be a good time to leave for the down before it got too dark. The rabbits all said their goodbyes and the group from Watership Down turned to leave. Before they went too far, however, one rabbit approached them from the Redstone group. It was Leafless.

"Wait, Sam," he said as he approached, "I just wanted to thank you for helping me convince Hickory-rah to move to the back of the warren. I had been trying to think of a way to tell him for a long time."

Sam flashed him a smile. "Happy to help, Leafless. If I may offer one tip that I picked up from Bigwig? Never be afraid to tell your chief your concerns about safety or defense. You are the captain because you think of things others don't. If they tell you to stop worrying, it probably means you're doing your job perfectly."

Leafless nodded. "That's good advice, thank you. Oh, and thank Bigwig for me too, will you? I didn't get much of a chance to talk to him before he left."

Sam nodded and the group continued on their way.

* * *

A few nights later, Sam, Hazel, Bigwig, and Glade waited in the familiar place in the woods by Efrafa. They had come every night since the snow melted, but Campion had yet to show up. Every night he did not come increased their anxiety.

"Do you think he'll come tonight?" Sam asked, just as he had every other night.

"I hope so," Hazel responded.

Sam was about to respond when they heard a rustling in the bushes. Fearing the worst, Bigwig, Sam and Glade all stepped in front of Hazel, taking fighting stances. The rustling got louder until a large, brown rabbits appeared from the foliage.

"Campion!" They all yelled simultaneously.

The Efrafan captain gave a chuckle. "I don't think anyone's been that excited to see me in seasons. But I will admit, it's good to see some friendly faces for a change. Aside from Moss, of course."

"We were getting worried, Campion," Sam said. "The last time we saw you, you weren't looking so good. I'll be honest, I didn't know if you'd have time to recover before winter. I'm glad to see I was wrong."

Campion sobered at Sam's words. "I don't know if I can ever thank you for what you did for me. You saved my life."

"And we would do it again," Hazel responded immediately. "Always remember Campion: even though you're staying in Efrafa, you're still one of us. You're our friend, and we don't let anything happen to our friends."

"That means a lot to me Hazel, thank you." He looked as if he was going to continue, but instead averted his eyes.

Sam noticed.

"What's wrong, Campion? You seem a bit…off."

Campion gave a weak chuckle. "It was that obvious, huh? It just…feels good to be out of Efrafa. It was a bad winter. Very bad."

Bigwig and Sam exchanged a knowing look. There were so many rabbits when they had infiltrated Efrafa, there would be no way they would all make it through the winter without human assistance like Buttercup's warren had. "How many?" Bigwig asked quietly.

"Hrair. From every mark. Almost all non-owsla."

Sam was shocked. He had not realized just how big the warren was. Sam remembered five or six marks from when he had been there, and even if just five from each mark passed away…

"I'm so sorry Campion," Sam said sympathetically. "Is there anything we can do?"

Campion met Sam's gaze with renewed fire in his eyes. "There is: we can finish this. Woundwort needs to be taken out of power; the sooner the better. Over the course of the winter, I've been talking with Moss and some of the other good-hearted rabbits in the owsla. They don't have any proof that I'm working with you, but I'm sure they've figured it out by now. As soon as you decide a time to attack, we'll be with you."

"Hold on now, Campion," Bigwig said, "a frontal assault won't work."

"Why not?"

Sam took a quick tally of the number of soldiers each warren had. Efrafa had had about forty soldiers when he had been there, and that number can only have increased. Meanwhile, Watership Down had exactly seven fighters, though he himself could count for ten or more. "It's just a numbers issue Campion, trust me. I can count higher than four, so I'm aware we're vastly outnumbered."

"But…" Campion said desperately, before he looked away again. Seeing Campion so riled up was unsettling to the Watership Down group, who were used to seeing an unshakable soldier. To make Campion react in such a way, Woundwort must have really begun going over the edge.

Sam stepped forward. "Don't worry, Campion. Woundwort **will** be defeated, you have my word as Prince Rainbow's Messenger. It may take us some time to find a plan that works, but we **will** free Efrafa."

A/N: I'm really sorry about the insanely long wait! On the plus side though, it honestly should not happen again. The next three chapters are all with my beta reader, For The Kingdom, so the next bunch of updates should come quicker.


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Alright you lot. Outside. The General wants those new tunnels dug."

Vervain scowled as the soldier gave orders to him and the other prisoners. One infraction in Efrafa was all most rabbits got. Speaking out against the General, attempting to run away and disobeying orders were all reasons for being thrown in the Efrafan holding burrow. The rabbits within were used for labor: digging new tunnels, repairing any damage to the warren, and sometimes used as fighting practice for the owsla. Vervain glared at the ground as he followed the other prisoners out behind the soldier. He learned quickly that it did not pay to argue or to try and refuse their demands. Most of the owsla showed little respect for the position he once held.

The prisoners were led around the large, fallen tree that served as the support to the warren to the area where the digging was to be done. Vervain smiled as he approached the dig site. _This is my chance,_ he thought, _this is as close as I'll ever be to the tree line. All I have to do is escape from here and find the outsiders. Once I tell General Woundwort where they have their warren, I'll have my position as Captain of Owsla back from the filthy commoner, Moss. I just need to wait for my opportunity._

As it turns out, he did not have to wait very long. Another rabbit apparently had the same idea. Suddenly, one of the does broke from the group and shot straight for the trees. The call of "runner" rang through the air as some of the owsla soldiers gave chase. Seeing that everyone's attention was focused on the area where the doe had broken through the thick brush, Vervain stealthily made his way in the opposite direction.

"There's another one! Over there!"

Not looking back, Vervain ran as fast as he could away from Efrafa. He heard the faint sounds of owsla soldiers in pursuit. Because the fastest of the soldiers had gone after the doe, and he had a considerable head start, Vervain was not in immediate danger of being captured. But he was tiring quickly and he knew he needed to find a hiding place. Vervain ran until he broke out of the woods, and found himself along the river, close to the broken bridge. He hopped into the water, hoping it would hide his scent from the swiftly approaching soldiers. He allowed the current of the shallow river to add to his speed. Chancing a look behind him, Vervain could make out the soldiers coming out of the trees on the same path he had taken. Nearly exhausted, Vervain knew he needed to find somewhere to hide immediately.

When he looked back again, to see how close the soldiers had gotten, he tripped over a sand bar in the river. Lifting his dripping face from the sand, Vervain saw a moss-covered wall. Out of options, he decided to hide between the moss and the wall, hoping the soldiers would pass him by. However, when he squeezed behind the moss, he found not a wall, but a cave.

_This is perfect,_ he thought with glee, _they'll never find me in here._ Not wasting a moment, Vervain swam against the light current until he reached a shallow area, leading to dry land. He crawled out of the water and turned to face the cave entrance. He could barely make out the voices of his pursuers, who had stopped at the mouth of the cave.

"Where did he go? Do you see him?"

"He must have gone this way, come on!"

The splashes faded as they ran got fainter as they ran the opposite way from the cave. Satisfied that he was safe for now, Vervain set out to explore his temporary hideout. He followed a small stream leading to the main body of water deeper into the cave. After turning some corners and climbing over some ledges that had formed from erosion, Vervain found himself in a large chamber filled with stalactites in various colors. Not one to appreciate the natural beauty, Vervain was about to move on when something hit his nose. There had been a familiar smell wafting throughout the cave when he entered, but it had been too faint to make out. As he moved further in the cave, the smell strengthened until he recognized it with widened eyes.

_It's the outsiders! They've been here!_ As he thought about it, the pieces of the puzzle began to come together. _Any time we tried to chase them, we always lost them here. It was this cave! __**This**__ is how they've been getting in and out of Efrafa without being caught! I have to tell the General!_ He quickly turned towards the entrance of the cave and began to run. He swam out and ran back to the warren. In his excitement, he didn't hear the soldier behind him until he was tackled off his feet. Before he could move, a paw pressed against his throat.

"Get lost, Vervain? You're running **back** to Efrafa, you know." Vervain's face filled with hatred as he heard Campion's voice. "Oh well, I supposed it's just less distance that we have to drag you back. Bring him along."

As the paw removed itself from Vervain's throat, he spoke in a raspy voice. "I found them, Campion! The outsiders, they're in a cave by the river, past the moss. We have to tell the General!"

The captain shook his head. "Enough with your rambling, Vervain. General Woundwort already thinks you're crazy, do you really want to prove it?"

"But I know it's true! I smelled them! Take me to him. By the General's orders, you **must** bring me to him."

Campion grimaced. Woundwort had become so angry over the winter at having the outsiders elude him that he demanded any rabbit with information concerning their whereabouts be brought directly to him. Campion could not deny Vervain his audience with Woundwort without looking suspicious in front of the other soldiers.

"Fine," he relented. He turned to the other soldiers. "Take him to the General and have him tell his story. I'll check it out myself, so the General doesn't have to waste his time." The soldiers nodded and started back to Efrafa with Vervain in tow. Campion went the other way until he reached the wall that Vervain had been talking about. _Please be wrong,_ he thought, entering the cave.

* * *

Sam and Hazel were on the top of the hill at Watership Down, enjoying a midday silflay and discussing their future plans.

"I don't know what to do, Sam," Hazel said sadly. "We need to deal with Woundwort as soon as we can. You know what Campion said: he let so many rabbits die over the winter because they 'weren't strong enough for Efrafa.' We have to do something."

"I know, Hazel," the teen replied, "but I don't know what we **can** do. Like I told you, Efrafa has us so outnumbered, there's no way we'd stand a chance in a fight. The only thing I can think of that **would** technically work would be me going in there in my human form and taking them on by myself, but I can guarantee there would to too many innocent casualties. We both know I have the power to take them down, but there's no way of doing it peacefully." He sighed. "And I don't want wholesale slaughter."

"I agree. That isn't how this situation should be dealt with. Maybe if we-"

"Hazel! Sam!" The two looked over at Silverweed, who was sprinting toward them as fast as he could run.

Sam laid a paw on the breathless buck's shoulder. "Calm down, Silverweed. What's going on?"

The mystic took a moment to catch his breath before he answered. "There's a strange rabbit in the caves. And he's coming this way!"

"How do you know?" Hazel asked.

Silverweed averted his eyes. "Well, ever since I came here, I knew I needed to do something to keep my mystic powers sharp. So I set up a…watch net, I suppose you could call it. Basically, I can sense any rabbit that's on the down. This net stretches out a fair distance from the top of the hill, and I can sense any rabbit within its boundaries. That includes part of the caves too. I usually don't worry when other rabbits approach the down, because so far, I've recognized them all and they've all been peaceful. But I've never felt this new mind before."

Sam nodded. "Alright Silverweed, thanks for the heads up. Go tell Bigwig and Glade. Come on Hazel, let's check this out." The two rabbits nodded, Silverweed turning and running off another direction while Hazel followed Sam.

The two bolted into the warren, ignoring the confused looks the other rabbits sent them. They rounded the corner leading to the cave and slowed their running. "What should we do, Hazel? Should we wait here and get the jump on them?"

The chief shook his head. "I'd rather not let them get to the warren at all if they aren't friendly. And considering that Efrafa is on the other side of the cave, I'd say that is a distinct possibility."

Sam nodded and the two of them walked quietly though the cave. They had not been traveling long before Sam gestured to Hazel to be quiet. The two of them stood still and they could hear something moving towards them in the cave. Looking around, Sam noticed a deep crevice in the wall, just big enough for Hazel. Sam gestured for the chief to squeeze in there, and went to hide around a corner in on the path. The two waited as the strange rabbit moved closer and closer, until it came around the corner.

"Campion!"

The Efrafan Captain jumped and immediately fell into a fighting stance until he recognized the speaker. "Sunflower?" he said with a hint of dread in his voice. "No, Vervain was right!"

"Right about what?" Hazel said as he stepped out from the crevice, making Campion jump again.

"For Frith's sake, stop that! Vervain found this cave when he was trying to escape. He's probably telling the General about it as we speak."

Hazel and Sam gasped. "This is bad," Hazel said. "Come on, let's get back to the down. We should talk with Bigwig and Holly and see what our…options are. Come on Campion."

Campion looked surprised. "Me? I don't know Hazel, I should get back to Efrafa, surely I can-"

"You should come with us, Campion," Sam interrupted gently. "Take a chance to see what you've been working so hard to protect."

"Won't the others at your warren be alarmed when an Efrafan captain appears in their warren?"

Hazel smiled. "Campion, everyone at our warren knows what you've been doing for us. They may be surprised, yes, but I guarantee you'll be welcomed. Besides, Primrose has wanted badly to see you after she heard you were captured last fall."

Campion looked to be debating whether or not to follow them, until he lowered his head. "Alright, I'll come with you."

They smiled and took the path leading back to the warren with Campion following behind them. They followed the path until they entered the burrow. Campion took in the new warren as he followed Hazel and Sam outside.

_It's so different here_, he thought. _Even the walls themselves seem happy. Nothing like Efrafa._ He exited the warren behind the pair, and gasped in amazement as he beheld the view from the hilltop. He could see forever, and for once in his life, Campion let his guard down. It felt like he did not have to worry, as long as he was here. It felt like home.

"This…" Campion said hesitantly, at a loss for words.

"It's something else, isn't it?" Sam said understandingly. "I thought the same thing when I first came here. It was so different from where I had come from, but it still felt just like a second home. Oh!" Sam exclaimed as he saw Blackberry come around the tree and freeze at the sight of Campion. "Blackberry, this is Captain Campion, the one that's been doing so much for us in Efrafa. Campion, this is Blackberry. She practically designed the warren by herself, and she's the one we go to if there's any digging to be done. She's crazy good." Silence. "Campion?"

Neither Campion nor Blackberry made any indication that they had heard him. They just stared at each other in amazement. Campion was the first to act, hopping closer to Blackberry until they were a foot apart. When they stood closer, Sam could see that Campion was head and shoulders above Blackberry. "Hello Blackberry, I've heard a lot about you."

She stared a moment more before it registered that he had spoken. "Oh, um, yes. I've heard much about as well. You're a hero for everything you've done for us."

Campion averted his eyes with a pained look on his face. "Hardly. My recent actions don't begin to make up for the things I've done in the name of Efrafa. I'm no hero."

Blackberry closed the distance between them and put one of her paws under Campion's chin, moving his head to so he was looking at her. "You have turned from that path, Campion. You may have done bad things in the past, but they can be forgiven. You're working to help others now, and to ensure that Woundwort won't hurt anyone again. That makes you a hero to me."

Campion was about to respond when Sam interrupted. "Hey Blackberry, do you think you could finish showing Campion around the down? We have to talk to Bigwig."

A large smile burst onto her face. "Of course I can!"

Campion was about to agree, but hesitated. "Shouldn't I come help you make a plan?"

Sam gave him a wry smile. "You've done enough for us already. You've earned a day to yourself, pursuing whatever pleasures you want." Campion and Blackberry both blushed madly. Sam chuckled. "Come on Hazel, let's go track Bigwig down." They walked away in search of the captain while Blackberry and Campion started talking animatedly.

* * *

"This sounds bad," Bigwig said as Hazel finished telling him the news Campion had brought. "Our problem remains: we still have no way to fight them."

As they sat in the cave, Sam voiced an idea that had been in his head for a while. "Maybe we don't have to." The other rabbits looked at him in confusion. "Couldn't we find some way to block the cave? I mean, there are tons of rocks around here. I'm sure if I just fired off a few energy balls, **something** would give way."

Hazel almost nodded but then stopped himself. Bigwig and Sam watched as their chief's face scrunched up in concentration. Sam was about to ask if he was alright, when Hazel's head popped up with a look of inspiration on his face. Hazel darted off towards the Efrafan exit with Sam and Bigwig scrambling to keep up. He ran through the large chamber with the stalactites and followed the stream until it reached the small ledge. "Yes, here would work," he mumbled to himself.

"Hazel, what-" Sam began.

But Hazel didn't listen as he took off again back the way they came. Sam and Bigwig shrugged, but they followed Hazel as he ran. This time, he stopped in the large chamber and began to look around. Eventually, his gaze drifted upward, where it hung on the stalactites. Hazel considered for a moment and looked at Sam, then back up.

"For the love of Frith, Hazel, what-" But Hazel darted away again, ignoring Bigwig completely.

When they caught up with him again, Hazel was staring at a large boulder that was sticking out of the wall. It was one Sam had noticed as soon as they had walked down the path for the very first time. The boulder was huge, standing from the floor almost to the ceiling of the cave, and it was eight feet wide. Sam always though it looked kind of precarious considering how far it hung out, but he paid it little mind, since it did not seem to be going anywhere. Hazel scratched at the base of the stone, then turned to them with a grin. "I've got it!"

"Got **what**, Hazel?" Bigwig asked. "All you did was run about and stare at the cave."

"No, I mean I know what to do about the Efrafans. If we can't fight them head on, we need to use trickery. We can set traps in the cave to stop them as they come!" Sam and Bigwig's eyes widened in comprehension.

"So when you were looking at those places in the cave…" Sam began.

Hazel nodded. "Exactly. Near the ledge where the small stream flows, I was thinking we could make some sort of barrier, maybe with some of the rocks around. We can stack them on top of each other and block some of the water from flowing. If we make it so that it can be collapsed, then if the Efrafans won't leave, we can trigger the trap and send rocks and water shooting at them. In the larger chamber, I was thinking that Sam could throw his green balls at those rocks on the ceiling."

"Stalactites," Sam offered.

"Yes, those. They would fall, and I'm sure that would cause some serious damage. The last thought I had, was that if they were still coming even after those two, is that we could dig around this boulder, and cause it to fall. The wall around it is loose enough that we should be able to get through it. We would lose our access to the cave, but they would lose access to the warren."

The other two were silent for a moment as they considered what their chief had said. Bigwig was the first to respond. "I think the first two could work Hazel, but I don't know about us digging out that boulder. It's bloody huge!"

"Then here's the plan," Sam responded. "The rest of you work under Blackberry digging out that boulder. That's easily going to be the most work, so I'll leave that to all of you. I can go set up the rock dam at the beginning of the cave and scope out which stalactites look most likely to fall. Setting up the barrier will be easier for me anyway. You know, with my hands."

Hazel nodded. "That sounds good. Let's go let the others know."

They went back to the warren and gathered everyone together. Campion had been formally introduced to everyone at this point, so Hazel was able to get right to the bad news. Near panic followed as Hazel finished informing them that Woundwort was going to attack, but Bigwig managed to rein them in with a loud bellow. As they quieted, Hazel and Sam explained their plan to trap the caves. Campion looked a bit depressed at the news, but the others nodded in agreement. Soon, the all of the rabbits were on their way back down into the caves to set up their traps.

_I wonder where Campion went,_ Sam thought as he left the others and went to help Blackberry weaken the boulder. Sam tried to keep an eye on him, but Campion just disappeared. Sam made his way to the ledge where he was supposed to be setting up the first trap, when he saw someone already there. It was Campion.

"Campion?" Sam asked quietly. "What are you doing down here?"

He glanced Sam's way, then back again. "I was getting ready to go back to Efrafa. If I'm not back soon, Woundwort will suspect something. I should be able to give you another day or two at least to prepare."

He turned to leave when Sam stopped him. "A-Actually, I don't think you should go back." Campion stopped and looked at the teen with an unreadable expression. Sam continued. "Maybe you could get us a couple of days, but I don't think that's worth putting you in danger again. You've done enough, Campion. This is the first time you've really been away from Efrafa, and out of Woundwort's grasp. I don't think you should give it up. Stay with us. Stand with us."

"I don't know if I deserve to, Sunflower."

Sam was about to reply when he heard a voice behind him.

"I think you do." Sam and Campion turned and saw Blackberry standing there with a concerned look on her face. Sam moved to the side as Blackberry hopped closer to Campion. "Campion, we forgive you for everything you've done. Can't you forgive yourself?"

Campion averted his eyes. "It isn't that easy, Blackberry. If you knew half the things I've…"

Blackberry moved closer and nuzzled Campion's chest. "I don't care what you've done. I only care what you do now. Please, don't leave. I don't want you to go." Campion looked down at her with a pained expression. He glanced at Sam, who only raised his eye brows.

Campion sighed. "I…suppose I can't say no to that, can I?"

Blackberry's head snapped up. "You mean it? You'll stay?"

He nodded. "I will. When Vervain leads the others here tomorrow, I will stand with you. Hopefully I can convince some of the others to see the truth as well."

Blackberry nuzzled him again. "Thank you Campion. Alright, I have to go help with digging around that boulder. Will you come help?"

"Actually, I think I'll stay and help Sunflower. I think even he could use some assistance gathering all the rocks he's going to need. Beside, I'm a bit on the large side to be digging."

Blackberry nodded. "Alright. If you two finish before us, you should come help." Campion nodded and Blackberry hopped away.

Sam watched her before he turned to Campion. "Alright, I guess we should get started." Campion nodded and they began their work. It was Campion's job to bring stones over to Sam while the teen planned out how best to stack them to make a worthwhile trap. While they were working, a concern rolled into Sam's mind.

"Campion, are you sure you're really alright helping us like this?"

"Of course I am," he replied, "why wouldn't I be?"

Sam grimaced. "Well, I just wanted to be sure you really thought this through. These traps we're setting aren't just for show. We aren't taking any prisoners in this fight. Some of the Efrafans may die. In fact, I think we're counting on it. I just want you to be aware of that. No one would blame you for sitting this one out. It's can't be easy knowing you're going to be fighting against former friends."

Campion stopped rolling the rock he had been bringing and sighed. "As soon as you and Hazel appeared in that passage and proved Vervain right, I knew this wasn't going to end peacefully. And yes, it's going to hurt knowing I might be the cause of some of their deaths. But if that's what it takes to free all the innocent rabbits still waiting in Efrafa, then so be it. Not a single rabbit in that owsla is completely innocent. Not Vervain, not me, not even Moss. I'm ready to do what it takes."

Sam nodded understandingly. The two continued working in silence for a bit. "I've heard you speak of Moss before," Sam said. "Is he a friend of yours?"

"No, he-" Campion began, but then stopped. He considered for a moment before he responded. "Looking back, I would say that yes, he was, and still is, my friend. He was one of the first rabbits I trained for the owsla, and he's stuck by my side ever since. Any time you've heard me talk about there being goodness in the Efrafan warren, it was always him that I was talking about. If circumstances had worked out differently, it could easily have been him standing here having this conversation. "

"I hope to Frith he makes it out alright then," Sam said as he turned to his human form to start piling the rocks up. "I would hate to wipe out one of the few good rabbits in Efrafa."

Campion chuckled. " 'Hope to Frith,' eh? That reminds me of something that's been on my mind all winter. What exactly is your story, Sunflower? How does a human come to be the size of a rabbit and get end up as part of a warren? Not to mention the things you can do: changing your shape, throwing those green death balls, even just speaking Lapine. I don't know much about humans, but I know they can't do that."

Sam laughed. "Oh that's right, I suppose you don't actually know that much about me, do you? Well let's see, the quick version is that I was brought here by Prince Rainbow in order to help Hazel and the others find peace. I assume that means defeating Woundwort. As for the odd things I can do, those are all powers given to me by Prince Rainbow. Each is assigned to a color. The first two, purple and blue, complement each other. The first lets me change into a rabbits, and the second gives me the…I still don't know how to explain this. I suppose you could say it gives me the extras that make the rabbit body complete. Without my blue power, I wouldn't be able to speak Lapine, I would smell like a human, I would have human hearing, and other things like that. The green power allows me to throw those 'death balls,' as you call them." Sam thought back to the winter, when they were unknowingly on the way to Buttercup's warren. "Oh, and apparently it makes my punches super strong too. And my last one, red, lets me manipulate fire. Anything else you wanted to know?"

Campion shook his head in disbelief. "If it was **anyone** else, I'd think they were insane. But I can't argue with what's before my eyes." There was silence for another few moments. "Did you say something about fire?"

Sam grinned like a child. Stand back, Campion." The captain did as he instructed and watched. Sam took a deep breath before exhaling and letting flame bellow from his mouth, similar to the demonstration he had given Glade last fall. When he finished, the ceiling of the cave was charred, and showed signs of melting. Campion stood still as stone with a shocked look on his face. Sam chuckled. "Awesome, huh?"

Campion shook his head slowly. "Efrafa doesn't have a chance. There's no way we could ever have won against you. You're too powerful."

Sam sobered quickly upon seeing Campion's reaction. "Hold on now, just because I can do that, doesn't mean I'm going to be using it on the Efrafans. Burning to death is a horrible way to go, and I don't plan on using that power unless it's absolutely necessary."

Campion nodded. "Thank you."

The two focused on the task and hand, rolling and piling stones for nearly two hours. The result of their labors was a wall of rocks packed tightly enough that it held back most of the water, causing the water level near the wall to raise almost a foot and a half. Satisfied with their work, Sam and Campion headed back to where the others were working on the boulder. When they got there, they were surprised to find only Blackberry and the other does still digging.

"Where did the rest of your work force go, Blackberry?" Sam asked as they approached.

She jumped slightly, not having heard them approach. "Oh! Hello Sam," she smiled deeply, "and Campion. I wanted the rest to stop. We're close to getting as deep as I'm willing to dig beneath this thing, and I didn't want their clumsy digging to mess anything up."

Sam nodded. "I suppose that means we're out too. How's it coming along?"

Blackberry looked behind her to be sure none of the others were listening. When she saw they were all focused on their digging she turned and whispered to Sam and Campion. "I don't know if this is going to work as a trap, Sam. I can't think of any way to rig it so that we can make the boulder fall on command. To make it fall will require careful digging, and there's no way to decide when it falls. It's not like there's a main section of the wall holding the boulder in that we can just knock out at the right time."

San groaned in frustration. "Alright. Just, weaken it as much as you feel comfortable with, and then leave it alone for now. I'll think of something."

"Alright," Blackberry said. Sam and Campion left them to the digging while they went up to the warren.

"What are you going to do?" Campion asked as they emerged from the warren to see the sun setting. "It's going to take quite a force to move that rock."

Sam's head popped up. "Wait a second, I wonder if I could…yeah, let's try that! Campion," he said suddenly to the other rabbit, "I might have an idea. I'm going down the hill to test it out; can you spread the word that no one should bother me?"

"Of course, Sunflower," he responded with a puzzled tone in his voice. "But what-" Once he had agreed, Sam had already begun sprinting away.

Campion decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and do what he said. The first rabbit he ran into was Pipkin.

"Hi Campion," the young buck said energetically, despite all the work he had done today. "How are you liking the down?"

"It's amazing; there's truly no other word for it," Campion replied. "Oh Pipkin, Sunflower wanted me to tell everyone that he's going to be down at the bottom of the hill working on a way to dislodge that boulder, and that no one is to bother him. Any idea what that's about?"

Pipkin sighed and looked down the hill in concern. "Again? Embleer Frith, Sam."

"What's he doing exactly?" Campion asked, beginning to worry that may letting Sam go off on his own was not the best idea.

"He's experimenting with his powers. He always goes down there whenever he gets a new idea in his head. He usually tells us 'Don't come get me unless the sun sets and I'm not back yet. In which case, come get me right away, because I probably screwed something up.' It usually goes alright whenever he goes down there, but there have been times where he had come back burnt, bruised, and one time Glade and I found him unconscious. He worked too hard and got…I think 'backlashed,' is the word he used."

"Backlashed?" Campion asked. "What's that?"

"From what Sam has told me, it happens when he uses his powers too much. If he works himself too hard in a short amount of time, his powers go away for a full day. There's more to it, he feels a great deal of pain and sometimes he'll go unconscious."

Campion turned to face the same direction Pipkin was, new respect in his voice for the teen that gave so much for his warren. "That's incredible. He's so powerful; it's hard to imagine that he, too, has limits. So what do you think he-"

***BOOM!***

Campion and Pipkin stood in shock as they heard a loud bang come from the bottom of the hill. They glanced at each other and nodded before taking off for where Sam had gone, regardless of his warning. When they got to the bottom of the hill, they found Sam sprawled on the ground about twenty feet away from a smoldering crater. He sat up shakily and smiled at his quickly approaching friends.

"I did it guys!" He yelled. "I've got the solution to our problem."

"Sam, are you alright?" Pipkin said worriedly, circling his friend to check for injuries.

Sam chuckled. "I'm fine. Maybe a little banged up, but fine nonetheless. But look at that hole! That's going to be perfect."

"What did you do?" Campion asked as he lent Sam his shoulder to help him stand.

"I can make remote grenades! They'll be **perfect** for getting the boulder to fall. Watch this." Sam stood up and concentrated on his red power, bringing the fire from his stomach to his hands. But instead of letting it burn freely, he kept the power in check, holding it in his grasp while he brought more and more up. As soon as he felt he could not put any more power into the glowing red ball be now held in his hands, Sam opened his eyes and gave the sphere a little toss, landing in the crater he had made earlier.

Campion watched as the ball sat there, unmoving. "That's it?"

"Just watch," Sam said with a smirk. "Oh, and I'd cover your ears." The rabbits did as he said as Sam turned to his creation. With a smile on his face, Sam snapped his fingers and the ball exploded like the grenade it was named after, sending dirt and grass flying. Once his ears had stopped ringing, Sam turned back to his friends. "See? Problem solved."

Campion nodded. "Alright, let's go tell Blackberry and begin the final preparations.

* * *

Early the next morning, Sam, Hazel, and Campion stood on the stone wall that had been built the day before. The first of three traps the Watership Down rabbits had prepared. Campion knew Woundwort would attack at dawn at the latest. There was a better chance to take the enemy by surprise that way. The three waited silently as the moments ticked on with no sign of movement in the cave. Soon, however, they began to hear a single runner coming in their direction. Just after they heard him, Dandelion sprinted around the corner. Sam turned to human form to help him up and the lanky buck gave his report.

"They're coming, Hazel-rah," he said breathlessly, "just like Campion said. They're going slow and quiet, probably trying to take us by surprise. I don't think they expected us to be ready for them."

"Oh they expect it alright," Campion said grimly. "Woundwort is too crafty. To be safe, he would assume I decided to side with you. I knew exactly how he was going to attack, and he knows I knew. He's going slowly to avoid an ambush. He isn't expecting us to lay the traps right in front of his face."

Hazel nodded in understanding. "Dandelion, go tell the others to be ready. We'll wait and hope we can get Woundwort to see reason."

Dandelion ran towards the warren, leaving them alone again. They did not have to wait long. Soon enough, a large group of wet rabbits rounded the corner, led by the huge black form of Woundwort, flanked on either side by Moss and Vervain. When he saw them standing on the pile of stones, he held up a paw, stopping the rest of the rabbits.

"Now what do we have here?" he mocked. "A rabbit that thinks he can play at being a chief, a slave of a dead god, and a traitor. Have you come to surrender? Surely you don't think you stand a chance."

Hazel stepped forward. "Woundwort, or whatever you are, leave this place. Only the Black Rabbit waits for you in here."

Woundwort threw his head back and let out a laugh. "I can assure you that no, he does not. If you want me to leave so badly, you have to give me something first." The Efrafans whispered in confusion while Hazel, Sam, and Campion shared a concerned look. "Give me the messenger." At this, the Efrafan soldiers began talking louder, questioning their leader's sanity.

"Messenger? What messenger?"

"Does he mean the ithe?"

"Maybe he-"

"**Silence!**"

A demonic shout burst from Woundwort's throat, silencing all the soldiers. "You heard me," he said to the three. "If you give me the messenger, I will leave this warren, and never come back. The rest of you will be safe, but only if he comes without a fight."

Hazel and Campion glanced at Sam, who merely looked at the ground in uncertainty. He took a tentative step forward. "Y-You promise? If I go with you, you'll leave my friends alone?"

"Of course I promise," Woundwort said convincingly. "You have my word as chief."

Sam raised his foot to move closer to the Efrafans, when he was suddenly yanked backwards by his shirt. "Absolutely not!" Hazel said to him and to Woundwort.

"But Hazel," Sam began. "If I-"

"He's lying, Sunflower," Campion said, never taking his eyes off his former chief. "The second you're down there, he'll kill you and then come for the rest of us."

"But-"

"Sam," Hazel said urgently, "we need you here. What if Campion is right? Then we've just lost a friend, and the only one who could protect us. Even if Woundwort keeps his word, I'm not willing to sacrifice you. None of us are."

Sam stared at Hazel for a moment before he got to his feet and turned to Woundwort with a defiant look his eyes. "No deal, tyrant. We **will** defeat you, and we **will** free all the rabbits you're still keeping against their will."

Woundwort's fake smile slid off his face, replaced with rage. "Fine ithe, have it your way. Owsla, charge!"

As soon as he said that, Sam, Campion, and Hazel jumped into the water and made the short swim to the higher part of the passage. "Go on," Sam told the other two, "I'll be right behind you."

They nodded and ran to the next interception point while Sam turned and watched the wall. _Wait for the first one_, he said to himself, _then blow it._ Soon, a pair of ears appeared over the stones. Sam was about to blow the wall, when he got a clear look at the rabbit's face. _Off-white face with dark grey around the eyes? That's what Campion said Moss looked like._ Conflicted, Sam decided to wait until Moss had jumped in the water. As soon as he was clear, Sam snapped his fingers and ignited three grenades he had hidden in the rock pile. As he did, stones went flying everywhere, and without the wall to hold it back, the water surged forward, sweeping Moss back and taking some of the other soldiers off their feet. Sam grimaced as he heard some screams of pain, but he turned and ran the way his friends had gone. He rounded the corner and found Campion, Bigwig, and Holly waiting for him.

He stood next to them and face the way he had come. "Everyone ready?" he asked. They nodded. The plan was to spring each of the traps, and have holdings point in between where they would fight off as many soldiers as they could before being overrun. Or until Woundwort arrived. As soon as either of those things happened, Sam would cover their retreat. Sam readied his staff while they waited. One end he left blunt, but he attached a blade to the other end.

The four did not have long to wait, as rabbits soon began appearing in ones and two. They fought hard, and were able to hold off the wave, incapacitating rabbits where they could, and killing as they had to. Sam cringed whenever he was forced to stab one of the soldiers, or slice a throat, but he kept going. They all accumulated scratches and other injuries, but kept fighting. Soon though, Sam saw Woundwort approaching and called a retreat, firing a green energy blast at the ceiling above them and startling their pursuit.

They ran along the path, Sam in the back shooting off energy blasts behind him to try and keep off their followers. He half limped due to a deep gouge that one of the Efrafans had given him when he had let his guard down, but he managed to keep up with the others. Soon, they found themselves in the large chamber with the stalactites. They quickly made their way to the opposite side where Glade, Strawberry, Hawkbit, and Dandelion were waiting.

"Sam!" Glade exclaimed as he got closer. "You're hurt!"

"It's nothing," he said quickly as he took his place in the back of the group. "Just stay focused, alright?"

Glade nodded and turned to face where she knew the Efrafans would be coming from. Sam climbed onto a rock behind his friends. His job at this part was to shoot energy blasts at the stalactites as the Efrafans made their way through the cave. The Efrafans were relentless in their push, soon appearing through the passage they had just entered from.

"Here they come!" Sam shouted as the launched his first blast.

The stalactite fell to the cave floor, along with some rubble that was knocked loose as well. Sam heard shouts and yells of pain, but he stayed focused. The soldiers began to spread out, and Sam found himself having to fire where it would do the most damage. He soon began to hear the sounds of fighting as his friends engaged the rabbits that Sam was not able to hit with the falling debris.

He spared a look as his friends. Bigwig and Holly were fighting three rabbits between them, while Dandelion and Hawkbit kept the Efrafans confused with their erratic fighting. Glade, Strawberry, Holly and Campion were each fighting single-handedly, but they were holding their own, dealing with each soldier as they came. When Sam looked back up, he saw Woundwort enter the chamber. Every time Sam tried to hit him with a stalactite, the Efrafan general would drift out of the way. He was gaining ground quickly.

"Run!" Sam yelled to his friends. "Fall back! Hurry!" He jumped down from the stone and let out a breath of fire, aiming it above the heads of the soldiers, causing them to freeze up so his friends could get away. Sam ran too, and soon found himself standing to one side of the boulder. The only ones waiting were Hazel, Campion, Glade, and Bigwig. The rest had gone to fortify the warren in case something went wrong with their plan. Sam, Hazel, and Campion stood in a line as they waited for the Efrafans. They did not wait long before the soldiers rounded the corner, led once again by Woundwort. The general stopped on the other side of the boulder.

"What is this?" Woundwort scoffed. "Have you finally stopped running, content to die by the might of Efrafa?"

Hazel nodded to Sam, who stepped forward. "We don't need to run, Woundwort. I'm giving you one last chance to run. Your army is in tatters." The Efrafans had upwards of fifty soldiers when they first came. Sam counted twenty in front of him. Most were injured. To his relief, one of the uninjured was Moss, who stared only at Campion, paying the human no mind. "You have no chance of victory, leave with the soldiers you have and you can prevent any more unnecessary death."

Woundwort glared at Sam. "The only death there will be yours. And I find killing you **very** necessary."

Sam sighed in sadness. "Fine, have it your way." He looked to Moss, who had finally managed to tear his gaze away from Campion and was looking at him. He mouthed the word "run" to Moss, then turned and began walking away from Woundwort with his hand held in the air.

*Snap*

The sounds of Sam's fingers hitting his palm were barely heard before a series of deafening explosions echoed throughout the cave. Sam did not need to look to know that the boulder had been blown apart and there were heavy stones and debris falling. He heard the faint voice of Woundwort, but it was quickly lost in the noise. Sam waited until the rumbling stopped before he turned around. The passage was blocked by tons of stone, making it completely impassable. The Efrafan assault was over.

Sam turned back to his friends, including the noncombatants that had emerged from the warren upon hearing the rock slide. "We did it," he said in a lifeless voice.

"We did," Hazel agreed. "It was such a waste; so many good rabbits dying to satisfy a mad chief."

"What do you plan to do now?" Campion asked.

Hazel responded with steel in his voice. "The only thing we **can **do: we press our advantage. Tomorrow, we attack Efrafa."


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The morning after the attack by Efrafa, Watership Down was a flurry of activity, with rabbits following Sam, Bigwig and Hazel's instructions for preparing for the counter strike while their leaders planned the assault.

"It's going to rain soon, Hazel-rah," Bigwig said as he gestured to an approaching line of cumulonimbus clouds. "Just as the rain starts would be the perfect time for an attack. Whatever owsla they have left will be herding the other rabbits into the warren, so they would be open for a sneak attack."

The chief nodded. "That sounds like a good plan. We'll be sure to have everyone in position. Sam, have you figured out who of us is going yet?"

"I think so," the teen replied. "Of course some are going to stay back; some of the rabbits here literally can't fight to save their lives. I know Clover, Pipkin, and your kids are staying back for sure. Personally, I think Primrose and Fiver should stay back, but they both insist on going." Hazel sighed at this, but gestured for him to continue. "There's…one more I really think should stay here: Campion."

"What?" Bigwig interrupted. "Why in Frith's name would you have Campion stay? He's one of the best fighters we have. I'm not ashamed to say that I think he could even beat me."

"I know Bigwig, but look at it from his point of view. Would you really make him go back to the place where he had essentially been a prisoner his entire life, and then ask him to fight his former allies? I know he would be good to have along, but I think it would be better for him to stay."

"I don't know, Sam" Hazel said hesitantly. "I'm inclined to agree with Bigwig on this one."

"Look, why don't we just ask him what his thoughts are. If he really wants to go, well, then who am I to stop him? But if he hesitates, I think we should encourage him to stay behind."

Hazel nodded. "Alright. Oh look, there he and Blackberry are now. Campion! Might we have a word with you?" The pair, who before looked like they had been arguing about something, hopped over.

"What do you need, Hazel?" Campion asked. "We were just…getting ready for the fight."

"That **is** what we wanted to talk to you about. Sam has a proposition for you. Sam?"

Sam sighed as the spotlight was suddenly thrust on him. He turned to the former captain. "Campion, I was thinking that it might not be a bad idea for you to stay here." Seeing the look on Campion's face, Sam quickly clarified. "I was just thinking that it would be asking too much of you to make you go back there and fight against your former friends."

"No," Campion said forcefully. "You'll need me there. I know the owsla strategies, I know where they'll be positioned, I know which members of the owsla to watch out for and which are pushovers. Besides, I fought against them yesterday. Why should today be any different?"

Sam was about to speak when Blackberry interrupted. "He's right, Campion. I think you should stay. Yes, you have been forced to fight them once already, but there's a big difference between defending yourself and attacking another warren. We don't want to put you through that. Can you honestly say the thought doesn't bother you?"

Campion looked between Sam and Blackberry, and then averted his eyes. "No," he admitted with a sigh, "it will be one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I've known some of the rabbits since I was a kitten, but you'll need me there. Unless I miss my guess, the Efrafan owsla probably still outnumbers us. You're going to need every soldier you can get."

"Actually," Sam said, "we have that covered. Look over there. Have we told you about our friend Bark yet?"

Campion looked behind him and almost bolted. Sitting on the top of the hill was a lendri. Fiver was standing next to her and the two were talking and laughing. Campion gaped as Blackavar, Snowdrop, and Gillia approached her slowly with Primrose keeping a close eye on them. Bark appeared to have no problem with the kits and was very gentle with them. "That…that's a lendri…" Campion said in shock.

Sam chuckled. "Yeah. She's a friend we made last fall. She's going to be helping us with the fight. But don't worry," he added, seeing the look on Campion's face, "we made sure to specify that she is **not** to use claws or teeth unless it's absolutely necessary to save one of us. So between her and me, we aren't really short on power."

"But," Campion said, unsure of how to respond, "I still think I-"

"Campion," Blackberry interrupted again. "Let's work out a deal. Do you remember what we were…discussing, before they called us over?" Campion nodded. "If you stay, I'll stay."

Sam, Hazel, and Bigwig exchanged confused looks, but Campion ignored them. "I…are you sure, Blackberry?" She nodded. Campion sighed and turned back to Sam. "It looks like I'm staying behind after all."

Sam simply nodded. "Alright Campion, that's fine." Campion nodded and he and Blackberry walked off together.

"What just happened?" Hazel asked.

Sam laughed. "As far as I can figure, both of them wanted the other to stay here, so they each agreed to stay, as long as the other did." Sam chuckled again to himself. "They're worse than you and Primrose were."

"Worse?" Hazel asked, genuinely confused. "Was there something wrong with us?"

"Don't worry about it, Hazel," Sam replied. "Let's just go finish the preparations. We want to get there right as the rain starts so that they're off their guard, but not yet hunkered down in the warren."

Hazel and Bigwig nodded and the three went in separate directions to prepare.

* * *

Two hours later, Sam, Glade, and Strawberry huddled under the bridge on the edge of Efrafan territory while the others hid in the woods on the opposite bank. Sam peered around the corner and saw only one soldier guarding the bridge instead of two. _It's probably due to the amount of casualties they sustained in the cave_, Sam thought sadly. He shook his head and focused on the task at hand. Sam and his friends were supposed to lure the guards away from the bridge and knock them out so the rest of the group could sneak into the Efrafan woods. Glade snuck around one side of the bridge while Strawberry went around the other side, leaving Sam under the bridge.

Glade was acting as the distraction, and Sam heard the guard's surprised gasp when he finally noticed her. Glade gave a coy giggle and jumped back under the bridge, prompting the guard to follow. Soon, the guard appeared around the corner of the bridge. When he saw Sam, he tried to run, but Strawberry had snuck around the other side, surrounding the guard.

"Gotcha," Sam said as he knocked the guards unconscious. He whistled loudly and gestured for the others to cross the bridge. The rest of the rabbits joined the three and the entire group continued towards the warren. With Kehaar's keen eyes in the sky scoping out any scout positions, they were able to approach Efrafa without being noticed. The Watership down group hid in the tree line overlooking the warren.

"Is everyone ready?" Hazel whispered. They all nodded in response as raindrops began falling on their heads. "Alright, let's move!" At his words, the group broke from the trees and ran towards the warren. The sentries saw them immediately and called for reinforcements from inside the runs. By the time they had managed to push passed the panicked civilians running into the warren for safety, most of the outside guards were unconscious. Some still fought, and they managed to push back as the other Efrafans joined the battle.

The Watership Down strategy was simple: they would fight as a unit to compensate for their small numbers. Bark and Sam would separate from the group and each fight on their own so as not to hurt their friends. The rabbits would stay in a group so none of the Efrafans could flank them for a sneak attack.

While the rabbits fought, Sam detached himself from the group and fought several rabbits singlehandedly. The teen ducked and dodged as fast as he could, avoiding the worst of their strikes. Whenever an opportunity presented itself, he lashed out with his staff or an energy blast.

"Look out!"

Sam looked behind him in time to see an Efrafan about to strike him across the face. He turned quickly and slipped in the quickly accumulating mud. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain, but it never came. Sam opened his eye and saw Glade where the soldier had just stood. The two immediately turned and stood back to back. Sam still faced three rabbits while Glade fought two.

"You know, you **were** supposed to stay with the group," Sam shouted through the heavily falling rain.

"This coming from the one that kept telling us that no one should fight alone," she shot back. "You're stuck with me."

Sam nodded, even though she was not facing him. "Just be careful."

"You too."

With simultaneous battle cries, they launched themselves at their opponents. Sam immediately struck one of the slower rabbits with his staff and the rabbit fell unconscious. The other two attempted to overpower him by tackling him at the same time. One met an energy blast in the face, and the other one flew over Sam's head as he ducked at the last second. Sam immediately spun around and swept the rabbit's legs out from under him, then knocked him out with a swing of his staff. Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, Sam turned and readied his staff for another fight, only to find a rabbit look cautiously at him, but making no move to attack.

Sam's eyes widened as he recognized the rabbit. He lowered his staff a bit. "You're…Moss, right?" Moss nodded, but did not say anything. "Please don't," Sam pleaded, "I don't want to fight you. Campion has told me a lot about you. You know what Woundwort has done to this warren is wrong. He's holding rabbits prisoner and punishing anyone too weak to fight back. This isn't what life is supposed to be."

Moss sighed. "I know," he said, causing a sigh in relief. "When Captain Campion turned to your side, I knew there had to be a good reason. That's why, as we speak, I have a group of rabbits inside the warren moving all the civilians out. At first, we were just going to wait for nightfall and escape ourselves, but your attack allowed us to get more out. They're going to be waiting by the bridge."

Sam stood, shocked at the information. "That's perfect, Moss! With that, we can-"

"Traitor!" Sam was interrupted by a rabbit trying to rush Moss from the side. Sam launched an energy blast at the rabbit before Moss could turn. Moss looked back at the teen with new respect.

"Thank you," he said simply.

"No problem," Sam replied.

He looked over to where the rest of the Watership Down rabbits had been fighting. All the rabbits of the Efrafan owsla were either sitting calmly, having surrendered, or they were lying on the ground. Unconscious or otherwise. Bark had left as soon as the fighting was over, to keep from scaring the civilian rabbits. Sam glanced behind him and found Glade sitting there, keeping a suspicious eye on Moss. Sam turned back to the Efrafan. "Alright, it looks like we're almost done here. There's just one last thing: where's Woundwort?"

"I don't know," Moss replied. "When we got back from the cave attack, the General went into his chambers and he hasn't come out since. Even when the owsla shouted at him that we were under attack, he didn't respond."

Sam nodded. "Alright. Glade?" he said to the doe still sitting behind him. "Can you bring Moss over and tell Hazel and Bigwig that he's on our side?"

"Sure, but what are you going to do?"

Sam looked back at the warren where he could see non-owsla rabbits start to leave slowly, been led by rabbits he assumed were part of Moss's group. "I'm going to go see if the general is in."

"No need, messenger."

Every rabbit stopped and stared at the source of the voice that had somehow echoed through the area, despite the rain. Woundwort stood at the entrance to the warren, staring at Sam. His gaze shifted to the other Watership Down rabbits, then to the Efrafans that were in the process of escaping from Efrafa, then back to Sam.

"It doesn't matter," he said with a gruff laugh. "Those fools can go, I'll have them back soon enough. All I need to do is kill you, and everything will be right again." Woundwort walked to the edge of the platform on which he stood. "Once you're dead, I can-"

Woundwort was interrupted by a loud crash of lightning. Before anyone realized what was happening, the dead tree that housed the Efrafan warren was struck once, twice, three times with lightning. With a deafening boom, large chunks of the tree burst into splinters.

The energy running through the roots caused the ground to open up, making the tree sway precariously in the wind. As they watched, the tree began to topple forwards, towards Woundwort and the frozen rabbits that were trying to escape. The refugees bolted as soon as the tree started toppling, and Sam thought he saw them all make it out. But not everyone was going to get clear in time. Sam watched as the platform Woundwort was standing on began to shake and crack; the very ground beneath him opened up, sending the evil chief plummeting into the darkness with a yell of rage. The shout was cut off immediately as the tree fell atop the area where Woundwort had been standing.

As it registered to the crowd what had just happened, staggered cheers began to be heard. Before long, all the rabbits, except for the defeated Efrafan owsla, were cheering. Sam just smiled wearily. _It's…over. We won!_ Sam turned towards his friend and began to make his way over, when he began to hear whispers of a voice.

"Can't leave…"

"Evil yet lives…"

"Keep fighting…"

"May the Sun be with you…"

Sam jerked to a halt and looked around. He did not see anyone beside the rabbits that were already accounted for.

"Sam?" Glade said when she saw him seeming looking around at nothing, "are you alright?" The teen shook his head and focused on her. "Come on, we're taking the Efrafans back to the down until we figure out exactly what we should do with them. Are you coming?"

Sam was about to agree, but what the voices said stopped him. "Actually," he replied, "I'm going to stay here. To check for survivors or in case there was a scout or something that didn't hear the fight. It wouldn't be very good if we left someone homeless."

"Alright," Glade said. "Well, I can wait with you if you wa-"

"No!" Sam said quickly. "I mean, it won't be a very big job. I'm sure we got everyone, I just want to be sure. They could use you back at the down. If the civilians are anything like they were when I was here, they're going to be very skittish. The more gentle rabbits that are there, the better."

Glade snorted in amusement. "I hardly think I could be considered **gentle**, but if you insist. Just…don't be gone too long, alright Sam?"

"I won't, Glade. I promise." She smiled and went to join the others. With Moss and the other rebel Efrafans prodding the refugees on, the now very large group of rabbits departed for the down, leaving Sam alone at the destroyed warren. Looking around, Sam found a large rock. He climbed up and took a seat. _You're still out there, Woundwort. I know it. I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else. It __**will**__ end here, I swear it._

A/N: Sorry this one turned out to be so short, but I'm hoping the next chapter will make up for it. As always, I love getting reviews, so don't be shy.


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Sam sat on the rock and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

It had long since stopped raining, but the sky was still filled with dark, ominous clouds. It had been at least three hours since the other rabbits had left, and still Sam found no signs of life anywhere. He had done as he told Glade and checked the remains of the warren for any survivors, but there were none to be found. He found bodies of rabbits that were obviously owsla, those that had been injured in the cave attack and had not participated in the defense of the warren. But still no sign of Woundwort.

_What am I doing here?_ Sam asked himself for the tenth time. _I hear some voices in my head, so I waste who knows how much time looking for a rabbit I watched get crushed by a tree. I should be back at the down, helping Hazel and the others deal with the Efrafans. This is stupid._ He shook his head and turned to leave. He began walking away, when the ground began to rumble.

_What the hell?_ Sam turned back to the ruins of Efrafa and saw small sheets of dirt falling as the shaking knocked it loose. With wide eyes, Sam watched as a streak of black lightning struck the tree, completely shattering it and sending debris flying everywhere. Sam was knocked off his feet by the force. When he managed to right himself and look at the smoking hole, he saw a shaking black paw emerge.

_No way,_ Sam thought to himself as he continued to watch. Slowly and with obvious effort, Woundwort crawled out of the hole. As he slowly emerged, Sam could see he was covered in injuries. One side of his face was badly scraped. It was bleeding freely and reached up to his eye, leaving him blind on one side. There were numerous gashes of varying severity all over his body, the worst being a deep cut on his shoulder. Sam thought he could see bone. When he heaved himself up, he stood on three shaky legs, holding one in the air as if it was injured, and glanced around with an insane look. His gaze finally settled on Sam.

"Messenger," Woundwort said simply. "We meet again. For the last time."

"H-How did you survive?" Sam asked, trying to overcome his shock. "You should be dead! **Really** dead!"

"My master has allowed me one last chance to defeat you," Woundwort said, ignoring Sam. "I will not fail this time. Prepare yourself for death!"

With no further warning, Woundwort launched himself at Sam. The large rabbit moved very quickly despite his injuries. It was almost as if he was ignoring the numerous wounds in his rage. Sam barely had time to bring his staff up to block Woundwort's swipe, but he was still thrown off his feet. Before he could get up, Sam felt an uncomfortable weight on his left arm, followed by a burning pain. Sam opened his eyes and saw Woundwort attempting to drive his claws though Sam's arm and he was drawing blood. Ignoring the pain as best he could, the teen reached down to his hip and grabbed the knife he had holstered there, the one not attached to the end of his staff. With a grunt of effort, he drove the knife into the inside of Woundwort's leg, causing the Efrafan chief to yell in pain and jump off of Sam. The teen quickly got to his feet, ignoring the pain in his bleeding shoulder. Sam brought his staff forward, knife end pointed at Woundwort. The two glared at each other for a moment before they moved.

They struck, dodged, and traded blows. Sam ducked under an attempted swipe to his face by the large rabbit, only for Woundwort to change the direction of his attack and raked his claws across Sam's back. The teen grimaced in pain and retaliated with a quick slash of his staff, making another shallow cut in Woundwort's chest. Before the general could respond, Sam brought the other end of his staff around and gave Woundwort a hard hit in the temple, making the rabbit stagger. Sam tried to end the fight there with a quick shot to Woundwort's throat. Just as the blade was about to connect, Woundwort flung his paw out and caught the staff. With a quick flick of his paw, Woundwort wretched the staff out of Sam's hand and sent it flying behind him, knocking Sam to the ground in the process.

The rabbits shot a smug look at the teen. "Looks like I win, Messenger." He began to slowly close on the teen.

Sam waited until he was close enough before he let a smile appear on his face. "Not quite." Before Woundwort could react, Sam brought his hands up and shot two energy blasts directly into Woundwort's face. One hit the injured side of his face, while the other hit his good eye. Woundwort reared back and let out a pain-filled howl. Taking advantage of his distraction, the teen moved to take his staff. He was almost there when he heard running behind him. Sam looked back and saw Woundwort running at him blindly, pain and rage on his face. The teen dove for his staff as he heard Woundwort dive for him. Sam grabbed his staff and flipped onto his back. Woundwort overshot his jump, giving Sam a clear shot at his hind legs. Striking blindly, Sam swung his staff and felt it connect with something. When he opened his eyes, he saw Woundwort lying on the ground, breathing heavily. Sam watched as Woundwort tried to get up, only to fall as his legs gave out. One of his front legs was injured from the when the tree fell on him, and the other still had Sam's knife stuck in it. Woundwort's back legs had been hit in Sam's blind strike and both had large cuts in them that freely leaked blood.

Sam stood up and walked over to his fallen enemy. "You lose, Woundwort. You aren't going to hurt anyone anymore." He placed the bladed end of his staff over Woundwort's throat. "Any last words?"

Woundwort's eyes, which had been half closed in pain, suddenly shot open. He began to speak to himself. "Please Master, don't! I can still win, I can still...I…" Suddenly, he went silent and his eyes closed. Sam prodded Woundwort with the edge of his staff, thinking it was a trick by the Efrafan. Sam was about to thrust his blade though Woundwort's throat to be sure that he was dead, when the general suddenly sat up and Sam was blown back by a black wind. When he gathered his bearings, Sam looked in disbelief at Woundwort as he began to slowly rise into the air. The rabbit opened his eyes, only for them to be pitch black.

_Just like Cowslip_, Sam thought grimly.

"**My servant has failed me**," Woundwort said in rough, deep voice. "**It appears I must deal with you personally, Messenger**. **Feel my power, and know fear**." As soon as he finished talking, Woundwort moved quicker than Sam could keep up with. The Efrafan was suddenly beside him, and with a quick swipe of his paw, knocked Sam's staff out of his hands while leaving three parallel grooves on his arm. Sam turned and fired an energy blast at Woundwort, only to find it flying though empty air, the rabbit having disappeared again. Sam looked around quickly, but did not see anything. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, as though a needle had pierced through his body. Sam looked to where the pain had come from and found Woundwort floating in the air, surrounded by a black aura. The rabbit grinned evilly. With a wave of his paw, black needles formed from the darkness surrounding him and flew at Sam. The teen dodged all he could, but every hit slowed him more and more. Sam struggled to keep from yelling as his body was impaled more times than he could count. Woundwort was purposefully avoiding any vital organ in an attempt to toy with the teen longer.

Seeing two more needles coming towards him, Sam tried to dive out of the way, only to find his foot caught by something. He looked down and saw a black tendril of smoke wrapping tightly around his ankle, preventing him from moving. Sam reached around to try and free his leg, when suddenly, his arm was similarly caught and wretched back. He was helpless to fight back as more tendrils wrapped around him, one around each limb, one around his torso, and one wrapped around his throat, just barely allowing him to breathe.

With his opponent thoroughly tied up, Woundwort floated lower. "**So this is the mighty Messenger of Prince Rainbow? Pathetic. You presume to have the power to fight against me, but here you lay prostrated at my feet.**" A large spear of darkness formed behind Woundwort as he spoke. "**So, any last words?**"

Sam struggled and pulled against the binds holding him down, but they held tight. _I'm sorry, Glade,_ he thought to himself sadly. _It looks like I won't be back as quickly as I thought. _Sam closed his eyes and waited for the pain, but as he did, he began to hear a voice. The same voice that caused him to stay in the first place.

"_I am with you Messenger, never give up. Use the power of the sun. Destroy the darkness._"

"**What? No, not now!**"

Sam opened his eyes and saw the sun shining bright in his face through a small hole in the clouds. He instantly began to warm and felt the pain of his injuries begin to fade. The teen was filled with energy, as if all the fighting he had done that day had not happened. He saw smoke begin to cloud his vision, and suddenly the pressure on his throat was gone. Sam looked to his arms and saw the same thing: the dark tendrils that had been holding him were smoking and shriveling in the sunlight. The teen looked up at an enraged Woundwort who, with another flick of his paw, sent the spear flying at Sam's heart. Sam watched in amazement as the dark weapon stopped and shattered on the column of light surrounding him. The teen smiled, seeing the fight had turned to his advantage.

Sam's hands began to heat up as he spoke. "Looks like it's not over yet, huh Woundwort?"

"**You little whelp!**" The rage on Woundwort's face faded slightly, replaced with fear.

Sam felt his hands get hotter, and noticed they were glowing with a bright, white light. "It's over, Woundwort. I said I was going to kill you, and I will." Sam raised his hands and aimed them at the floating rabbit. "You're done." With a cry of effort, Sam focused the power that he was getting from the sun, and fired what he thought was going to be a simple energy blast at Woundwort. What emerged instead was a steady stream of hot, yellow energy. It billowed out from Sam's hands and was wide enough to fully engulf Woundwort.

Woundwort writhed in pain, a demonic howl escaping his lips. The dark aura surrounding the rabbit began to disperse, torn apart by the beam of light. Sam struggled to keep firing the beam until all the darkness was gone. When there was nothing left, Sam stopped and fell to his knees, exhaustion hitting him as the body of Woundwort fell from the sky and landed on the ground.

The exhausted teen flopped onto his back with a tired smile on his face. _I did it,_ he thought to himself. _It's finally over. Now I can go…home…_ His happiness quickly faded as he thought about what that meant. _Do I have to leave now? Now that my job is done? I wonder if I'll even get to say goodbye…_

Sam's thoughts were interrupted by a groan. "Where…what?" A soft voice said to his side.

Despite his injuries, the teen quickly sat up and looked over towards Woundwort, only to find him moving slowly. Sam ran over to where his staff had fallen and turned back to Woundwort. Or what should have been Woundwort. The rabbit in front of him looked nothing like the evil soldier he had just defeated. The rabbit was a light brown color with blue eyes. The menacingly large size that had been one of Woundwort's most distinguishing features was gone, leaving a rabbit a bit smaller than Sam was when he was in rabbit form. The rabbit was blinking his eyes and looking around in confusion and awe before his gaze settled on Sam.

"I-It's you!" he exclaimed in a high pitched voice, almost the exact opposite of Woundwort's. "You did it, you freed me! You-agh!" The strange rabbit tried to stand, but fell as soon as he put pressure on his front leg. As he fell to the ground, Sam saw his knife stuck in the rabbit's leg, right where he had stabbed Woundwort. This made Sam more cautious. He pointed the bladed end of his staff at the smaller rabbit and slowly moved forward.

"Is this another trick, Woundwort? It's not going to work. You will die, here and now, and then my friends will be free from your cruelty."

"Wait, please," the rabbit gasped. "My name isn't Woundwort, it's Wheatstock. I've been a slave of the darkness for seasons!"

Sam narrowed his eyes. _Could that be true? Silverweed and I never really figured out if Woundwort was the source of the evil or not…_ Sam thought back to his fight with Cowslip. _I won't hurt another innocent rabbit if I can help it. _Reaching his decision, Sam lowered his staff and walked towards the trembling Wheatstock. He reached down and pulled the knife out of the rabbits leg with a quick tug, eliciting a cry from him.

"Embleer Frith!" he swore, licking at the now bleeding wound. "Couldn't you have been a bit more gentle?"

"Speak," Sam said as he attached the knife to the other end of his staff. "I will listen to your story, and decide if you're telling the truth. But if you try to attack me, if you try to run, if you try **anything**, I won't hesitate to kill you. Is that understood?"

The rabbit nodded vigorously. "Y-Yes, of course. Ah, where to begin. I suppose it all begins in Darkhaven, the warren I'm originally from. All the rabbits born in Darkhaven serve our master implicitly."

"I've heard you mention your 'master' a few times," Sam interrupted. "Just who is this master?"

Wheatstock shuddered. "He is the darkest rabbits alive; the very master of death itself. The one who was controlling me, and the one who still waits for you, is none other than the Black Rabbit of Inlé."

_That doesn't make sense,_ Sam thought to himself. _The Black Rabbit is supposed to ultimately be a good being. _"Are you sure?" Sam asked out loud. "I know the Black Rabbit brings death, but he isn't evil. Death **has** to happen; there would be overcrowding otherwise."

For the first time since he appeared, Wheatstock gave Sam an angry look. "You think I don't know who was controlling me? That monster has been in my head almost my entire life, torturing me with images of death and killing. Make no mistake, it was him."

"Fine, we'll leave that on the table for now," Sam replied, still not entirely believing the rabbit. "But go back to that warren, Darkhaven? You said there were others there and that they followed the Black Rabbit completely, except for you. What happened to make you snap out of it? Was it something I did?"

"I-I think so," Wheatstock replied. "When you hit me with that beam, I heard a voice. It was faint at first, but as I listened, it got louder. I concentrated, and the voice became clearer. It was loud and echoing, and yet it was gentle and caring at the same time. It said that salvation had come for me, that I was free from the evil that had consumed me. I followed the voice, and a white light overtook my vision. When I opened my eyes, I was here. So yes, I think it was you that saved me. And for that, I am eternally grateful." He sighed sadly. "I wonder if it would work for the others. Most of them are so far gone…"

"Others?" Sam asked incredulously. "There are more like you?"

Wheatstock nodded. "Like I said, I come from a warren called Darkhaven. There are other rabbits there, all thralls of the Black Rabbit. But I just…wonder if freeing them would even be possible."

"Shouldn't it work like it did with you?" the teen asked. "Just hit them with that beam and they'd be back to normal?"

"Maybe," Wheatstock relented, "But I'm not sure. Most of them are under even deeper control than I was. You see, even though I'm **from** Darkhaven, I wasn't **born** there." Seeing the questioning look in Sam's eyes, the rabbit continued. "My marli was not from Darkhaven. She stumbled upon it after disaster struck her home warren. I was never told all the details. As soon as she set foot in near the warren, the Black Rabbit attacked her mind. She was soon made a slave like the others. Until I came along, that is. I still don't know how it happened, but my marli was able to break free of the Black Rabbit's hold and escape Darkhaven before she had me. I was born outside of the Black Rabbit's control. Most of the rabbits in Darkhaven are born within the reaches of the Black Rabbit, and they are brought under his control immediately as they enter life. But as I said, my marli was able to escape and had me outside of Darkhaven."

Sam digested what he had heard. _Stealing the minds of __**children**__? That's sick!_ "Does that mean your marli is still in Darkhaven?" Sam asked.

A look of pain flashed across Wheatstock's face. "No. Almost not long after she had me, a homba came along. She fought to protect me, but she wasn't strong enough. As soon as she was dead, Darkhaven owsla came and chased the homba away, leaving just me. They brought me back to Darkhaven and my mind was taken then and there." He snorted in disgust. "And all before my eyes were even open."

"Hold on a sec," Sam interrupted again. "How do you even know all of this if your eyes weren't open yet?"

"Because," the rabbit snapped, "he showed me! Whenever he got bored, the Black Rabbit liked to show me visions of that day! Sometimes it would be from the view of the owsla soldiers that were instructed to wait in the grass and let the homba punish my marli for daring to defy him. Sometimes it was from my marli's perspective, where I would be forced to endure the pain that she did that day: the pain of being torn apart, all while being wracked with sadness, thinking she was abandoning her son. Or when he was feeling particularly cruel, I would see it from the homba's eyes. I was forced to watch the fear, the pain on my marli's eyes as the homba tore her apart, and it felt like I was the one doing it." Tears of anger and sadness were pouring from Wheatstock's eyes by this point. "Do you know what it's like to taste your own marli's blood? I was forced to live it hrair times!"

"I-I'm sorry," Sam said sincerely. "I can't even imagine how hard that must have been, but I promise you, I-"

Sam cut off as Wheatstock suddenly sat up stock straight. He looked around fiercely, then snapped his gaze back to Sam. "There's no time, he's coming for me! Quickly, before he gets here, I have to tell you how to find Darkhaven, so you can defeat him. You're the only one who can. He fears you messenger. Where all others pass beneath his notice, you strike him with fear. Listen! To get to Darkhaven, you travel-"

Suddenly, what looked like a flame seemed to erupt from Wheatstock's chest, cutting off his speech. Sam watched in horror as blood began to freely flow from the where it touched the rabbit's body. As quickly as it appeared, the flame pulled back through him, leaving his body to drop to the ground. Sam was even more shocked by what stood behind him: a human girl.

She was a foot shorter than Sam and appeared to be sixteen at the oldest. She was wearing a white top with a blue skirt that looked more like a school uniform than anything else. Sam noticed her hair was done up in pigtails with matching red ribbons on each one. In her hand, she held what Sam had mistaken for a flame, but could now see was an orange sword. The sword billowed outwards from the hilt and had jagged edges along the blade. When Sam looked at her face, he was sickened to see her smiling. The shocking part about her smile was that there seemed to be no malice in her eyes, just genuine happiness.

The girl raised her gaze to stare at Sam. She put her hand up to her mouth and giggled, then said in a singsong voice, "Hey, **you** must be the one Master told me about. Sam, I think he said your name was. Nice to meet you Sam, I'm Alice." She stuck her hand out with a smile, asking for a handshake.

Sam broke out of his shock when she spoke. "What the hell! You killed him!" Sam dropped to his knees praying by some miracle that Wheatstock would still be alive. He had died instantly. Sam glared back at the girl. "Who…what are you! Where did you come from?"

Alice retracted her hand with a slight fade of her smile, but it did not stay gone for long. "I'm a human, silly. Duh! And I came from Darkhaven. Master wanted me to make sure **this** one," she gestured to Wheatstock's body with her sword, "didn't give too much away. Master isn't **quite** ready for you yet. But just you wait Sammy-boy, you'll get to meet my master soon enough."

_She was sent here to make sure I didn't know how to get to Darkhaven_, Sam thought to himself in anger. _Fine then, I'll just pry the information out of __**her**__._ He raised his staff for a moment, then stopped. _Wait, I can't hurt a __**kid**__! She has to be under the Black Rabbit's control, somehow. I have to try and free her._ "Hey, you said your name was Alice, right?" Sam asked in a friendly voice. While he was talking, he held one hand behind his back, charging up his Frith beam again. "I think we got off on the wrong foot, why don't you tell me where you were from, before you came here?"

"Hm," Alice tapped a finger to her chin as she thought. "Beats me! The first memory I have is of Master waking me up."

Sam tried to hide a grimace. The beam was almost fully charged and it was very hot in his hand. "Well that's too bad," he said as he continued to converse with the girl. "I have something that might help you remember. If you're interested, that is."

"Oh, really?" she said, curiosity taking the better of her. "What would that be?"

Sam brought his glowing hand around his back. "A face full of sun!" Sam watched the beam fly at the girl. But before it was going to hit her, she vanished. _Wha-_ was all Sam had time to think before he felt a burning pain in his leg and a hard strike on the side of his face. His vision blurred he fell to the ground. When Sam's eyes cleared, he was able to see the orange blade at his throat. He followed the blade upwards with his eyes and saw a very unhappy looking Alice standing there with Sam's staff in her other hand. _How did she…I don't even remember dropping it. _He looked down at his leg and saw that it was bleeding. She had cut him without him seeing. _She's so fast!_

"That wasn't very nice, Sam," the girl pouted. "I might just have to kill you for that. Unless you ask me **really** nicely not to."

"I wanted to save you," Sam said desperately. "If you'd only let me-" Sam was cut off by another rap against the head, this one softer than the last.

"Ah ah ah," she replied condescendingly, "that wasn't very good begging. That decides it then, I guess I'll just have to kill you. I wonder if there will be as much blood as there was with that rabbit." She giggled. "Well, I guess we'll just have to find out." Sam saw the blade move away from his neck as Alice swung back and brought the sword down towards Sam's torso. Just as she was about to connect, the weapon suddenly stopped. Sam looked up at Alice and saw a combination of concentration and pain written on her face. He watched as her scowl deepened for a moment, before disappearing entirely. She looked back to Sam. "Looks like it's your lucky day. Master doesn't want me to kill you just yet. He wants to play with you a bit first. Looks like you get to go back to your little rabbit friends." Sam's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh yeah Sam, I know all about your friends. Chief Hazel-rah, Captain Bigwig, little Pipkin. I know about all of them. All sitting up there on that high hill by that beech tree, if I'm not mistaken."

"I swear to Frith," Sam yelled angrily, "if you **dare** hurt the-" Alice drove the hilt of her sword into Sam's stomach, silencing him.

As he sat on the ground trying to catch his breath, Alice grabbed Sam's chin and forced him to look up at her. "You aren't very smart, are you? Most people wouldn't threaten someone that has a sword up to their throat. Lucky for you, Master wants me to return home to the darkness. Oh, but before I leave…" Sam barely had time to react as Alice tossed his staff in the air and brought her sword arcing around to hit it directly in the center. The staff froze for a moment before it shattered, knives and all. Sam felt the familiar sensation of backlash tear though his body as he rolled on the ground in agony. Alice waited until the pain had run its course, and again grabbed Sam's chin, the teens eyes flickering as he struggled to maintain consciousness. She placed a light kiss on his forehead and gave him a wink. "We'll see each other again soon, Sammy-boy. Ciao." Before Sam could try and respond, she disappeared again, leaving his head to hit the ground.

Sam lay on the ground panting as he tried to organize his muddled thoughts. _Have to get back to the down…have to tell the others…so…tired…_ Just then, a voice reached Sam's ears.

"…am! Sam, where are you! Oh Frith, Sam!"

Sam turned his head to see Glade running towards him. It was the last thing he saw before darkness overtook him.

A/N: Alright, this is the second of the two chapters I had in reserve. I'm still in the middle of writing the next one, so I wouldn't expect it in a week and a half like the last two have been (especially since Skyrim just came out).

Please review, as I would love to see what some of you think of this new development.


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Glade walked along the edge of the hill at Watership Down, happy for a break from the Efrafans. _You'd think they had never had a thought for themselves,_ she thought, then sighed. _That's because they probably haven't. I wish Sam was here…_ She stopped walking and sat, facing the direction of the old Efrafan warren. Grey clouds had begun to form.

"Are you alright, Glade?" She turned and saw Clover coming towards her. "Don't worry about Sam. He's very good at taking care of himself. He'll be back before you know it."

Glade sighed. "I know. I'm not **worried**, I just want him to be back." She grinned to herself. "It's like how **you** would feel if it were it was **Strawberry** out there."

Clover blushed and nudged Glade playfully. "Oh, stop it." She smiled at her friend. "But yes, I understand what you mean."

Glade was going to respond, but she was interrupted by an echoing boom. Startled, the two does looked back towards Efrafa, where the previously grey clouds had grown almost black. A streak of black lighting strike the ground. Glade's eyes widened.

"Sam!" she called urgently as she bolted down the hill. Clover called after her, but Glade did not hear her. She ran as fast as she could, but it was a much longer trip without being able to go through the caves. She sprinted over the railroad tracks and through the farm field until she got to the woods.

_I have to keep going_, she thought as she felt herself begin to tire. _Sam could be hurt. I can't stop!_ Empowered by her own words, Glad continued her tireless run. As she crossed the bridge into Efrafan territory, she stopped suddenly as a new smell hit her nose: a human. But not Sam. Advancing more carefully, Glade made her way to where the warren had been, the human smell increasing as she went.

"Sam!" She called out, despite the increasingly overpowering human smell. _Not that humans hear animals anyway,_ she thought ruefully. "Sam, can you hear me?" She continued towards the warren slowly, keeping in cover in case of trouble. As she approached the warren, Glade heard a voice. "Sam, is that you?" She listened for a response, but none came. She continued her advance and called out again. "Sam! Sam, where are you!" Glade poked her head out of the brush and saw a shape lying on the ground. "Oh Frith, Sam!"

She ran over to her friend and tried to rouse him. "Sam, are you alright?" She asked desperately as the she shook his shoulder. "Please wake up." She held her ear to Sam's chest and sighed in relief when she heard a heartbeat. _Oh thank Frith_. Only then did Glade notice the many wounds Sam had. Three parallel grooves ran down his back. The side of his face was beginning to bruise, and there was a large gash on his arm. On his leg was a long, thin cut that looked nonthreatening, save for the black discoloration at the edges. _What happened?_ She thought as she looked around cautiously for the source of Sam's injuries. The smell of the strange human still hit her nose, but there was something off about it. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, she turned her attention back to Sam.

"We need to get you back to the down," she said out loud. "Don't worry Sam, I'll get you there." She managed to flip the human over onto his stomach. Then, she draped one of his arms over her back, and pulled. With a bit of adjustment, Sam was lying securely on the center of her back. Glade grimaced as she felt her legs shake. _This is going to be a __**long**__ trip._

* * *

Sam opened his eyes and saw only darkness. He lay there for a moment before remembering the fight with Alice. He jumped up and looked around, but saw only darkness. _This must be…a meeting with Prince Rainbow? Weird, it's been a long time since we spoke._ Just as the words finished forming in Sam's mind, a bright light shone behind him. The teen turned and saw Prince Rainbow appear, and fall to the ground, breathing heavily.

The deity turned his head. "Thank Frith you're still alright."

"Me?" Sam exclaimed in worry. "What about you? What happened?" Prince Rainbow's multicolored robe was in tatters, and the colors had completely faded to monochrome. It was then that Sam took a good look at his face and exclaimed in surprise, "You can bleed?" Prince Rainbow had a few small scratches on his face, and one particularly large one running across his forehead.

He chuckled weakly as he put a hand up to his head and it came back glistening red. "APPARENTLY I CAN. BUT THAT ISN'T IMPORTANT. WE ARE IN BIG TROUBLE, SAM."

"Is this about the Black Rabbit? And that girl?"

"YES. I BELIEVE HER NAME WAS ALICE." Prince Rainbow gave a sad sigh. "THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. THE BLACK RABBIT WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO TAINT ANOTHER HUMAN LIKE THAT."

"I don't get any of this," Sam said. "Why is the Black Rabbit doing this? I know in that book that he was always supposed to be an ultimately good being. And where did Alice come from? How do I get to Darkhaven? How do I **beat** the Black Rabbit? What am I supposed to do?" By the time he was finished with his questions, Sam was shouting in a near panic.

Prince Rainbow seemed to think for a moment before coming to a decision. "SAM, THERE ISN'T MUCH TIME," he said urgently. "THE BLACK RABBIT IS-"

He was cut off by a sudden yell of pain from Sam. The teen fell to his knees as an intense pressure began to build in his head. It felt like something was trying to force its way in. Suddenly, the pressure stopped. And the room got noticeable hotter.

"**Ah ah ah Rainbow, can't let you do that.**"

A voice filled with malice echoed.

"NO!" Prince Rainbow shouted. "NOT HERE. YOU CAN'T BE HERE!"

The voice chuckled darkly. "**And why not? It was simple to follow you when you fled. It isn't MY fault you decided to hide in the Messenger's mind. Thank you for showing me the door, by the way. This will definitely come in useful later.**"

"What's going on?" Sam asked Prince Rainbow.

"I'M AFRAID," he responded, "THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE ON YOUR OWN FROM HERE, SAM."

Before the teen could respond, a cloud of darkness began to form around Prince Rainbow. Sam watched as his face contorted in pain. Then, Prince Rainbow was gone.

Sam stood in shock. "P-Prince Rainbow?" The teen looked around for the deity, but he was nowhere to be found. "What did you do with him?" Sam shouted to the sky. "Bring him back!"

The voice chuckled again. "**Oh, I think you have more important things to worry about besides that useless old man.**" Before Sam could respond, a wave of darkness struck him from behind and engulfed him.

* * *

Sam awoke and bolted upright, only to wince as the quick action sent pain shooting through his injured arm. He looked around in a panic before realizing he was back in his burrow on Watership Down. _How did I get back here?_ He wondered. _And what-_ His thoughts were interrupted as his head throbbed. _Those dreams…_ Sam remembered Prince Rainbow being stolen away, and then, he had been plagued with nightmares. He remembered with perfect clarity: dreams of being attacked, of being torn apart by elil. Watching his friends be slaughtered or enslaved by the Black Rabbit. Visions of himself destroying the down. Sam shook his head to dispel the dark memories.

"Sam? Sam! Lay mes hray? Bralrahl Frith!"

Sam turned, careful not to upset his arm again, and saw Glade standing at the entrance to the burrow. _What's going on? Why can't I...oh._ Sam reached for his blue power immediately when he could not understand Glade's words, but he found himself blocked off. _That's right, Alice sent me into backlash._ Sam felt that his powers were almost restored; it would only be a few more minutes.

"Sam, bleth lay nao?"

The teen shook his head. "Sorry Glade, I can't understand you yet. Just give it a few more minutes." Glade looked as if she were going to respond, but decided against it. Instead, she lay down next to Sam's side and they sat in companionable silence. While he waited, Sam looked himself over. His body was riddled with small marks from the needle projectiles Woundwort fired at him, and his arm had a few deep scratches in it. Then Sam looked at his leg. The area on his leg where Alice had cut him was black, almost like a bruise. The coloration had begun to spread the entire way around his shin, and he could see dark tendrils reaching up to his knee, and down towards his foot. Sam gently touched the area and hissed at the burning sensation. Glade glanced at him sadly. After twenty minutes, Sam felt his powers return in full.

He switched his blue power on and tried again. "Can you understand me now?" he asked.

He was answered by Glade tackling him and nuzzling his face. "Thank Frith you're alright! What happened to you, Sam? How did you get so hurt?"

"You aren't going to believe it," Sam began. He told her all that had happened since she and the others had left Efrafa. He told her of the battle against Woundwort, and of his possession by the Black Rabbit. Sam finished his tale with the fight against Alice, and the dreams he had.

Glade shook her head as she listened to Sam' incredible tale. "So that other human I smelled…was her?" Sam nodded. "But what about the Black Rabbit, why would he be doing this? I've **never** heard any stories about him doing such things as this." The two stood in silence for a moment. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know, Glade," Sam said despondently, "I just don't know what am I supposed to do. Defeat **him**? I don't even know where he is, or what he's planning. Woundwort was easy: he was a tyrant, plain and simple. He was reasonably predictable, but now? I'm lost."

Glade nuzzled him again in sympathy. "We can ask Hazel and Bigwig what they think about the situation later."

"Alright," the teen agreed. "I have a few questions for you though. How long have I been asleep? And come to think of it, how did I get back here? The last thing I remember is getting knocked out at Efrafa. And **that** reminds me: what happened to the Efrafans? Where did they end up going?"

"You've only been asleep for the night," Glade replied. "Those fights you had happened only yesterday. As to how you got back here, I was worried when I saw that black lighting you spoke of fall from the sky, so I went back to check on you. Alice must have just left, because her scent was still in the clearing when I found you on the ground. So I carried you back. Well, most of the way back. Bigwig, Strawberry, and Hazel met me part of the way back and took you from there." She chuckled. "By the way? You might want to lay off the flayrah."

Sam was dumbstruck. He knew he outweighed her by a fair margin. "I…" he began. "Thank you, Glade. You probably saved my life."

"After all the times you've been there for me, how could I not be there when you needed me most?" She leaned against him. "I'm just happy you're alright."

Sam spoke quickly so she would not spot his quickly growing blush. "But what happened to Moss and the other Efrafans? And what about Campion?"

"Well," she began, "they're actually-" But she was interrupted by someone coming down the tunnel.

"Glade," Pipkin's voice echoed as he approached, "Hazel wanted me to tell you they'll be leaving soon, and he wanted to know if you-" His speech broke off as he rounded the corner into the burrow and saw that Sam was awake. "Sam!" he cried, running and tackling him just as Glade had. The youngster tried to keep the waver out of his voice. "I-I was so worried when Bigwig and Strawberry brought you back and you didn't wake up. Are you alright?"

Sam chuckled and hugged Pipkin close. "I am now buddy. It's good to see you. Now, where are Hazel and the others going?"

"Oh, they're going to help the Efrafans start a new warren. We and they have had rabbits out all day looking for one, and Heather said she found a good place."

"Who's Heather?" Sam asked distractedly.

Pipkin giggled. "Heather is a doe from Efrafa. She was the one, besides Moss, that was in charge of the group that was going to escape. She's been brilliant ever since she got here. There was a lot of panic among the Efrafans, but she did really well at calming them down."

Sam nodded, not fully listening. "But you said they were going to help build the new warren?" Pipkin nodded. "Alright." Sam pushed himself to his feet and grimaced as his injured leg felt like it was on fire.

"What are you doing?" Glade asked in alarm as she moved to support him. Sam laid his arm across her back gratefully. "You aren't well enough yet to me moving around. Especially with that leg of yours. You should lie back down."

"Sorry, can't do that," Sam responded with a pain-tinged chuckle. "I can't let them go out alone. What if they run into Alice?"

"Then they **run**, Sam. What do you think you can do? You can barely stand for Frith's sake! "

Sam shook his head. "I still have to try. I'm the only one that has any chance of fighting her. I can't let them go alone."

"But Sam…" He stared at her uncompromisingly. Glade sighed in frustration. "Fine. Since you obviously won't listen to me, let's go. I'm sure Hazel and Bigwig can talk some sense into to you. Lean on me. That leg has to hurt." Sam nodded and they started out of the burrow and towards the surface.

Pipkin followed behind them. "Sam, who's Alice?" No answer. "Sam?"

* * *

Strawberry was standing near the entrance of the warren, and was the first to see them as they approached the surface. "Sam? What are you doing up?" He moved to support the teen's other side. "I don't think you're well enough to be walking around just yet."

"I know," Sam consented, his leg hurting worse just from the short walk, "But I can't let you guys go out there alone. What if…" Sam hesitated. "I'll explain later, Strawberry. But for now, just take my word that it's far too dangerous for you to be out there without me."

"Sam!"

The teen turned at the sound of Hazel's voice.

"What in Frith's name are you-"

"I know, I know," Sam interrupted. "What am I doing up? I'm **far** too hurt to be walking around." He chuckled. "I'm sorry Hazel, but I can't let you go out there without me. It's too dangerous."

Hazel gasped. "Does this have something to do with whatever attacked you? You have to tell us what happened, Sam. Everyone has been worried about you since you came back. And besides, Blackberry said-"

"Sam! What is Frith's name are you doing?"

Sam chuckled to himself. _Aren't I a popular guy today?_ He saw Blackberry come around from the other side of the tree looking angrier than he had ever seen her. "Hey Blackberry. How are-"

She interrupted him with a loud stomp of her foot. "Why are you outside? Why are you even **standing**? Do you even realize how bad that leg is that you're standing on?" She started muttering to herself as she inspected his leg closer. "And now it looks even worse than before, but at least it slowed. You idiot." She glared up at him again. "I didn't spend all night watching over you just so you could kill yourself with pointless heroics."

Ignoring Glade's quiet chuckling, Sam attempted to respond. "I-I'm sorry Blackberry, I didn't mean to make you worry. I'm grateful for your help, you know I am, but I have to go. I promise I'll explain in more detail later, but if the person that attacked me decided to target you while you were helping the Efrafans, it wouldn't be good. I'm the only one that can fight her." He then remembered how quickly Alice moved the day before, incapacitating Sam before he had a chance to react. "Well, I'm the only one that has a **chance** at fighting her."

"Sam," Hazel interrupted before Blackberry could blow up at him again, "Who is the 'she' that you're talking about? What happened to you yesterday?"

"I promise I will tell you, Hazel. **Later**. For now, shouldn't we be focusing on getting the Efrafans to their new home?" Sam looked around. "By the way, where is everyone?"

"They're all waiting at the foot of the hill for you lot," Campion said, coming around the tree the way the others had. He was followed closely by Moss. "You had us worried for a while there, Sunflower. It's good to see you up." This statement earned him a glare from Blackberry. The large rabbit cleared his throat nervously. "Of course, I only mean that it's good you're well. You **should** be lying down." Blackberry nodded in approval and looked back towards Sam, missing the warm smile Campion flashed her.

Sam sighed in annoyance. "I **know**! I'll lay down and rest **later**, but for **now**, I'm coming with to help the Efrafans set up the new warren. And yes, I will explain later." Sam was panting after his outburst. He saw Moss and Campion exchange a nervous look. "Something wrong?"

Campion bent close to Moss's ear and whispered something. He nodded and turned back the way he came. Campion faced his friends. "I don't know it would be a good idea for you to come along, Sunflower. It might be…disagreeable to some of the rabbits."

"I don't understand," Sam said, confused. "What do you mean?"

Campion's ears lowered as he spoke. "After hrair seasons of Woundwort telling us that humans were evil, it's gotten a bit ground into some of them. There are open minds in the group, like Moss and Heather, along with a few others, but most of the owsla want nothing to do with you. Moss, Heather, and I have spent the better part of the last day keeping any of the soldiers from trying to get to you while you were still asleep."

"I'd like to see them try it," Glade muttered.

Campion chuckled. "**That** is the reason Glade was staying in the warren with you. After she almost started a fight with some of the soldiers that were talking badly about you, Hazel thought it would be better if she stayed away from them. It was only the fact that you were such a help in freeing them that most of the non-owsla rabbits kept to themselves."

Sam was stunned. "I…didn't know I was causing so much trouble." The teen hung his head. "I'm sorry guys."

Campion sighed in disappointment. "It's not your fault. I was hoping that once they were free from Efrafa and Woundwort, that all this negativity would just disappear." He scoffed. "It was a foolish thought."

"Not foolish, sir," Moss said as he rounded the tree again, this time being followed by a lanky, yellowish tan colored doe. "Just premature. It will take a lot of work, but I'm confident that without Woundwort's influence, the rabbits of Efrafa will be better. I really wish you would stay, Campion. Heather and I could use your help keeping order."

"I'm sorry, Moss, but my place is here. I gave up Efrafa a long time ago; it wouldn't be right for me to lead them now. I will be here for you if you ever need me, but I know you'll be fine."

Sam nudged Glade in the side. "What are they talking about?" he whispered.

She whispered back, "When they found a spot for the new Efrafan warren, Moss asked Campion to come with them and be their new chief."

"But what about Blackberry?"

Glade snuck a look over to the doe in question, who was listening to Moss and Campion with a small smile on her face. "Moss said she was more than welcome to come with. Blackberry told Campion that she would stay with him, no matter what he chose, but it was obvious she wasn't very happy with the idea. Campion decided to stay here with us, instead of making Blackberry leave. Personally, I think he made the right choice."

Sam nodded. "Me too. He was Woundwort's second command, I don't know how well it would have gone if he had tried to be chief there. Besides, I think he already has more friends here than he did at Efrafa."

They finished talking at the same time as Campion and Moss. Moss turned towards Sam. "Sunflower. This is the first time we've been able to really speak. I want to thank you on behalf of all of us for what you did. Who knows where we would be if you hadn't come here. I don't care what the others say, I consider you our ally."

"You can consider me a **friend**, Moss," Sam said with a smile. "I was happy to do it, all of it. There…were a lot of problems in that warren. Helping you was the least I could do."

Moss sighed. "I just wish the others thought the same. I just went and had a talk with them. Most of them don't want you to come. They would be perfectly happy if they never saw you again. I'm so sorry that this has to be how we repay you for your help."

Sam stared at the ground for a moment before he responded. "Alright, I'll stay behind." His friends looked at him in surprise, having expected him to argue. "I figure that there's a better chance that I'll cause trouble if I go than there would be of the person who attacked be showing up. But you have to listen to me, Moss: if you see another human my size, you need to run. Don't try and talk to her, don't try and fight her, just run. Preferably back here. Do you understand?"

He nodded numbly. "There's **another** human? How many of you are there?"

"Dear Frith, I hope it's just the two of us," Sam replied. "Just promise me you'll run if you meet her."

"I…Alright Sunflower, if you say so. But I have to admit, even I'm curious about what happened to you now. You say this other human attacked you?"

Sam sighed. "I'll tell you the full story later, after you've had a few days to settle into your new warren. For now, just keep what I said in mind. The two of you can keep a lookout for her. And speaking of," Sam said, turning to face the doe, "I don't think we're met."

She tensed up and took a couple steps back until Moss gave her an encouraging smile and a nod. She faced the teen. "My name is Heather. I was the one Moss approached about escaping Efrafa like Captain Campion. We were going to run last night. Until you came and saved us instead. Thank you for that." She bowed her head.

"It's nice to meet you," Sam replied. "I'm glad you were able to get away from there. And thank you for helping keep the peace around here."

Heather nodded. "It was the least I could do. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to think about you either. The thought that a human would do something to help us was a foreign concept. But Moss and Campion spoke very highly of you, so I figured I could at least meet with you before making a decision. Don't worry. I'm sure we can get the others to come around. Eventually."

"Thank you for giving me a chance, Heather," Sam replied. "It really means a lot." There was a moment of silence before Sam continued. "Anyway, I think I've taken enough time. You should all get going and get that new warren set up. Just be careful, alright?"

Hazel nodded. "He's right. The sooner we get this done, the better it will be. Shall we go, Moss? Moss, Heather, what's wrong?"

The two rabbits in question sat with ashamed looks on their faces,ears flat against their heads. After a few moments, Moss spoke. "They don't want you to come."

The Watership Down rabbits exchanged confused looks. "What do you mean?" Hazel asked.

Moss snorted angrily. "The bloody fools don't want your help building the new warren. They would prefer for us to just do it by ourselves."

"Why did they change their minds?" Sam asked, hoping this was not his fault as well.

"There are a few reasons floating about," Heather continued. "Some of them want nothing to with Sunflower, and that includes interacting with his friends. Others say that we do it ourselves to prove our independence now that Woundwort is gone. There are a small number that are genuinely grateful for everything you've done for us, and don't want to impose any on you any further. And some just don't trust anyone that isn't from Efrafa. I'm sorry."

Hazel looked to Sam, who just shrugged in reply. "It's alright, Moss," the chief said. "If they would like us to stay behind, then we shall. Like Sam said: it would be best not to force things and cause more trouble. Especially when you've had so much in your lives already. We'll be here if you need help with anything, Moss. Don't' forget that."

"I won't," Moss replied. "I could never forget all you've done for us. Thank you." He and Heather turned. "We'll go tell the rest of your decision, and then we'll be off."

Hazel nodded. "Good luck."

They both smiled and walked around the tree, disappearing from sight. After the pair had gone, the Watership Down rabbits turned their attention back to Sam.

"And now," Blackberry said forcefully, "it's time for **you** to get back into the warren and lie down. You shouldn't have tried to stand up let, let alone walking. You need to rest, and hope your leg starts to heal." She looked anxious as she spoke.

"Can't I at least rest out here?" Sam asked.

"Sam," Blackberry said, starting to get annoyed at the teen, "I really think you should-"

She was cut off by a frustrated yell coming from behind the tree.

"We'll continue this later," she said to Sam. "For now, at least sit down. Don't push the leg if you don't have to."

Sam nodded and, with Glade and Strawberry's assistance, walked over and sat leaning against the tree. It was then that Bigwig came from the same way that Moss and Heather had just left. And he looked angry. He was followed by Fiver, Holly, and Primrose, all looking rather dejected.

"Bloody…embleer…ungrateful…" Bigwig muttered to himself as they approached the group.

"What's the matter, Bigwig?" Sam asked with a smile on his face. "You didn't get to go play with the Efrafans like you wanted to?"

The large rabbit immediately stopped his internal tirade when he heard Sam's voice. He replied with a chuckle, "Be glad you're injured lad, or I'd cuff you for that one." He hopped over to the teen and looked him over. "It's good to see you're feeling better." The smile on his face disappeared when he looked as Sam's leg. "Well…mostly."

"I'll be fine, Bigwig," Sam replied. "So what were you four doing?"

"We were trying to get those **fools** to accept our help."

Sam opened his mouth in alarm, but Fiver quickly interjected, "What Bigwig **means** is Primrose, Holly, and I tried to convince them to let us help, while he got into a staring match with some of their owsla." Sam sighed in relief as Fiver approached him too. "Really though Sam, what are you doing out here? You should be inside resting your leg."

"Jeez you guys," Sam said, exasperated, "my leg isn't going to fall off. I was in the two biggest fights of my life yesterday; I'm not going to be in top condition. I know it looks kind of bad right now, but I'll be fine. It's probably just some sort of bruise or something. Nothing life-threatening." None of the rabbits answered him, and all averted their eyes. "Guys, what's wrong?" Sam asked, beginning to feel nervous.

They all turned to look at Glade. She gave a sad sigh. "Sam, when I found you yesterday, your leg didn't look like that. It looked like just a cut, nothing more." The teen stared at her in shock as she continued. "By the time we got you back to the down, the cut had turned black. By nightfall it was the length of the wound and almost all the way around your leg. And when we woke up this morning, it had spread further."

Sam looked down at his leg like it did not belong to his body. He traced the top of the discoloration in wonder. That was where it had been this morning, right? Or did it look like it was…further along. As he ran his hand along his leg, Sam noticed his hands begin to warm. The closer he got to the cut itself, the hotter his hands got. When he held them directly over the wound, they began to glow, a brighter and brighter shade of yellow. _What the he-_ That was as far as his thought process got before he yelled out in agony. It felt like a wave of fire was slowly spreading through his leg. Sam could faintly hear his friends shouting in concern. After what felt like hours, the pain subsided and Sam slumped back against the tree, panting from exertion. When he finally opened his eyes, his friends were staring at him with shocked faces. He looked down and saw his leg was back to its normal color, and the cut had almost healed.

Hesitantly, Blackberry approached Sam. She bent down to examine the leg, looking at it from all sides and lightly sniffed the wound. "It's…fine." She said in disbelief. "It even looks like you could walk on it with no problem now. Sam, what did you do?"

"I think," Sam answered thoughtfully, "that my Frith Beam just healed my leg. And if that's the case, I'm willing to bet that getting cut by Alice's sword caused that to happen."

"Alright Sam," Hazel said in his chief tone, "I think it's time you told us what happened to you yesterday. Who is Alice? What happened to Woundwort?"

Sam sighed, knowing he could not put it off any longer. "Alright," he relented. "Gather everyone together. And I mean **everyone**. Kehaar, Hannah, your kids, everyone. What I'm about to tell you is important, and everyone should be aware of what we're dealing with."

It took a while to find all the rabbits of the down. Kehaar and Hannah had to be sent off to find Hawkbit and Dandelion, who had been scouting again for the Efrafans, and thus had not heard the change of plans. Primrose went to retrieve her kittens and found them inside, napping. Once everyone was together, Sam told his story again, leaving out no detail. He explained how Woundwort was under the control of the Black Rabbit the whole time, and how he was defeated using the Frith Beam. He then told them about Alice, and the dreams he had had on the way back to the down. By the time he was done, all of the rabbits were speechless. Snowdrop, Blackavar, and Gillia had snuggled close to Hazel and Primrose and were shaking with fright. Meanwhile, Blackberry and Clover had moved closer to Campion and Strawberry respectively. Bigwig and Holly had stony looks on their faces as they processed the information. Hawkbit was shaking his head in disbelieve, while Dandelion, Silverweed, and Fiver all looked thoughtful.

"Is this all true, Sam?" Hazel asked finally.

Sam nodded. "Every word. I can't explain it, but it seems that the Black Rabbit has turned against us."

"Of course he has!" Hawkbit exclaimed. "His purpose is killing rabbits, it only makes sense that he would want to step it up. The evil git."

Dandelion shook his head. "You're wrong, Hawkbit. The Black Rabbit is not evil. Or at least, he shouldn't be."

"Who made you the authority on the Black Rabbit?" Hawkbit yelled in a near panic.

"I'm a storyteller, Hawkbit, it's my job to know these things. In any of the stories I've ever told or heard, there has never been any mention of the Black Rabbit being malevolent. This doesn't make sense."

"That must be what happened to Cowslip," Silverweed murmured. "The Black Rabbit tried to take control of him too."

Just then, Fiver began to moan and hold his head. He spoke in a hollow voice:

"You stand together, hoping to gain  
Not knowing it brings only fear and pain  
One by one, the price shall be paid  
By his companions, who chose to remain."

The silence was deafening as the ominous words rung through everyone's heads. Sam mulled the prophecy over in his mind before he had an idea.

"In light of that," Sam said hesitantly, "it might be better…if I were to find somewhere else to stay. I'm pretty sure they would only be targeting me, so if I were to leave-"

"No!"

Sam froze as the word echoed from everyone's throats.

"Absolutely not, Sam," Hazel said vehemently. "You're a part of this warren, and we **will** stand together."

"You've never left any of us behind in a fight," Bigwig continued, "what makes you think we would miss the chance to help you?"

"Please don't go, Sam," Pipkin said while giving Sam his best pouting face. "You shouldn't be alone out there. I don't care how dangerous it is; we'll be with you."

"Sam," Fiver managed to choke out while tears formed in his eyes. "Please don't make me responsible for causing one of my best friends to leave the warren. We're a family here Sam, and that includes you. We'll be there for you, no matter what the risk."

As the others spoke, more and more rabbits looked to Glade, waiting for her to speak. Sam looked at her as well. She chuckled when she noticed all eyes were on her. "What? Like you could get rid of me anyway. If you tried to leave, I'd just follow. I'll stay by your side Sam, no matter what."

"But," Sam said desperately, "it's going to be dangerous."

"So?" Dandelion shot back.

"You could get hurt!" The teen exclaimed.

"You've gotten hurt for us," Strawberry said.

"But I…" Sam trailed off as he saw the resolute looks in all the rabbits' eyes. "You're sure?" They all nodded. Sam felt tears come to his eyes. "You guys are the best family a guy could ask for."


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

It had been more than a week since the Efrafans had left the down, and since Sam had told his friends of their enemies. Since then, Sam, Hazel, Fiver, and Bigwig had been planning nonstop how to combat the Black Rabbit, but had little success. They had no idea where Alice and the Black Rabbit lived, and no way of finding out unless they decided to reveal themselves. In an effort to find the Black Rabbit's weakness, if there was ond, Sam even went to Dandelion. Perhaps there was an obscure legend he had not heard of.

"The stories never portray him as anything less than immortal," he had told Sam. "The only thing they **do** say, is that those who fight their death will be torn from life by force. Quite an unpleasant experience, I would imagine."

Sam could only agree. Having found nothing else, the teen decided to do the only thing he could: make sure no one could be caught unawares. Three groups of rabbits stood on the hill as Sam addressed them.

"Alright ," the teen said as he looked over the rabbits assembled, "everyone remember the story?" Nods and murmurs of agreement. "Good. Remember, for now, just tell the chief, their mate, and their captain of owsla. Who they decide to tell in their own warrens is their business. Since we don't know when or where Alice will appear again, we need to let all our allies know about her. Campion," Sam turned his attention to the first group. "You, Blackberry, Primrose, and Holly will go to…what was it the ex-Efrafans decide to call their new warren again?"

"The decided to call it Spread Wing," Campion replied with a chuckle. "Moss said it was to symbolize their new freedom. I find the name a bit strange, but **I** don't live there, so they can name it whatever they want."

Sam shared a laugh with him before turning to the second group. "Strawberry, Clover, Silverweed, and Fiver are going to Redstone, right?"

Strawberry nodded. "That's right. We'll make sure Hickory, Marigold, and Leafless know the whole story."

"It will be nice to see them again," Silverweed remarked. "I haven't seen any of the rabbits there, since leaving Cowslip's warren, aside from Hickory and Marigold."

Sam nodded. "Glade, Hazel, and I will be the third group, going to Buttercup's warren. Bigwig," he said, turning to the Captain, "you, Dandelion, and Hawkbit will stay behind to watch over the warren. And the 'junior owsla.' Sound good?"

Bigwig groaned. "If you insist." Ever since Sam had told his friends about Alice and the Black Rabbit, Pipkin, Blackavar, Snowdrop, and Gillia had decided that they wanted to help keep the warren safe. Of course, they were still too young; not even Pipkin was quite old enough for real owsla training. So the four of them had formed a junior owsla, with Pipkin as their captain.

Sam chuckled at the large buck's response before turning back to the others. "Now listen up everyone: you need to be **really** careful out there. If you run into Alice, if you even catch a whiff of human, run. Don't hide. I'm not sure exactly what Alice is capable of, but I bet she wouldn't have trouble finding you."

The rabbits nodded.

"Alright then. Everyone be careful, and try and be back before it gets dark." When he finished speaking, the groups departed in different directions, each to their assigned warren. Kehaar swooped out of the air and landed next to Sam.

"You ready to go?" the gull asked.

The teen nodded. "We're ready, Kehaar. You remember the way, right?"

Kehaar scoffed. "Of **course** Kehaar remembers the way! Follow me." He took off again and signaled for the rabbits to follow.

"So tell me again why Kehaar has to lead us to this warren we're going to," Glade said to Sam as they followed the gull.

Hazel explained. "The first time we went to Buttercup's warren was the night of Frith's Eve. It was snowing so hard, we didn't know which way we were going, and we sort of stumbled upon it. Luckily, Kehaar was able to get us back to the down, but I doubt any of us could have found our way back on our own."

Sam chuckled. "Not without getting lost again, anyway."

"Alright," Glade replied. She shouted to the sky, "Lead on, Kehaar."

The gull flew towards Buttercup's warren. As it turned out, the path to her warren led right past the greenhouse that Sam, Hazel, and Campion had been trapped in a year before.

_That makes sense_, Sam mused as they walked by the glass building. _I wouldn't have thought Nuthanger Farm would be wealthy enough to build a greenhouse. Or that they would really __**need**__ one. But I can see it belonging to whoever owns that big, fancy house._

After nearly an hour of walking, they came to the large pond where they had battled the foxes in the winter. They skirted it, and soon came to the dirt road leading up to the house. Kehaar signaled for them to follow as he flew around the house in a path that allowed the rabbits to keep to the bushes. Sam, who was leading the way, stopped when he heard rustling coming towards them.

"Is that…It is! Sunflower!"

Sam barely had time to register the voice before something was rubbing up against his shoulder. He looked down and saw Buttercup's cream-colored form immediately next to him, nuzzling his shoulder.

"I knew you'd be back, Sunflower," she said. "I just wish you hadn't taken so long."

"Uh, yeah," Sam replied, moving a small distance away from her, "It's good to see you're well, Buttercup. It's lucky we found you, actually. I'm afraid this isn't a pleasurable visit, we have something to tell you. Something bad."

Buttercup sighed as the smile disappeared from her face. "That's too bad. I hoped you had just come to see me. Us, I mean. Very well then. Let's go to the warren and speak there. Oh, and who's your…friend?"

Noticing the hesitance in her voice, Sam turned and saw Glade glaring past him at Buttercup. He cleared his throat to get her attention. As soon as she met his inquiring glance, she shook her head and softened her gaze. "That's right, we haven't met yet. My name is Glade. I wanted to thank you, personally, for saving Sam and the others during the winter."

Sam and Hazel froze, glancing at Buttercup, who sat with a confused look on her face. "Um…yes, it was our pleasure. We rarely get visitors at our warren, so it was our pleasure. Despite the…issues during the night," Hazel looked ashamed when she mentioned their theft attempt, "it was a worthwhile experience. I met Sunflower that night, so it was worth it."

"I'm…glad you feel that way," Sam said awkwardly. "Hopefully it will make up for our bad news."

Buttercup nodded. "Follow me." She turned and walked through the bushes around the house until they were cut off at a stone wall. She poked her head out to make sure it was safe. Buttercup led them through twists and turns until the group came to the large tree in the middle of the maze that housed the warren.

Sam, Hazel, and Glade looked around in awe. During the winter, the center of the maze had been barren, but in the summer, there were flowers planted all along the edges of the clearing. There was a marble bench along one of the sides and a birdbath in the far corner.

"It's…beautiful," Glade said in awe. Sam and Hazel nodded their agreement.

Buttercup chuckled. "The humans are very talented with things like this, aren't they? It's just another benefit to living near them. Come on, we have some flayrah in the warren. We can eat first, and talk after."

Sam agreed and waved Kehaar down to tell him they could find their own way back before they followed Buttercup. As they entered the warren, another familiar face dashed up to greet them.

"Buttercup," Willowort said with relief, "you're back! What took you so long? You said you were simply going for a walk, but I thought you-" He broke off as he saw the others coming in behind her. "That's…Sunflower! And Hazel! How have you been? It's been too long. And who's this you've brought with you?"

"Hello Willowort," Sam greeted him, "it's good to see you. We've been well enough, all things considered. This is Glade, one of our friends from Watership Down. She wanted to meet the rabbits that saved us in the winter."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Glade," he said, nodding his head in her direction. "So, what brings you here today? Did you get lost again?"

Sam and the others chuckled at his joke, but Sam sobered quickly. "I only wish it was something as harmless as that. It would be better than the truth. We have some bad news and we wanted to come let you know that you should be on your guard."

"Sunflower," Buttercup interrupted, "let's leave that for later, hm? Surely you all must be tired from your journey. Come inside the warren and rest first. Have some flayrah."

Sam looked to his companions. Both had the same apprehensive look on their faces that he did. "Actually, Buttercup," he said hesitantly, "I think it would be best if we were to tell you our news and be on our way. I would feel much better if I was back at the down in case…well, I'll get to that."

Buttercup's ears lowered in disappointment. "But I thought…" she sighed. "Alright. We can talk now."

"Thanks," Sam responded in relief. "What I'm going to tell you is a bit…sensitive. We should probably go somewhere a bit more private. I don't want one of the other rabbits from your warren stumbling upon us while we're talking. Except for your Captain of Owsla. He should know as well."

Buttercup and Willowort exchanged a look. "We don't actually have an owsla captain," Willowort responded. "Living where we do, we've never had need for a dedicated owsla."

"So you're defenseless?" Hazel asked incredulously.

"Oh no, of course not," Willowort said. "Just because we don't have an owsla doesn't mean we don't have rabbits in our warren that can fight. Despite living so close to the humans, we have still had to deal with elil."

Sam sighed. "Fine. Then, we'll leave it at the two of you. Where can we go to speak in private?"

"Follow me," Buttercup said with a hint of sadness. She led them back out through the maze, taking a different route so they ended up on the said facing away from the house. They approached a tree, which Sam recognized to be the place the humans had set out food the previous winter. "We can talk here. None of the other rabbits ever come this way this time of year."

"That's perfect, thanks," Sam said. "Hazel? I think I'll let you take the first part."

The chief nodded as he stepped forward. "Do the two of you remember Efrafa? The warren we told you about in the winter?" They nodded. "Well, they have been dealt with. Not long after spring, they found our warren and attacked us. Luckily, thanks to…Sunflower, here, we were able to fight back and repel their attack. The day after, we followed them back to their warren and finished the fight. Some of the rabbits surrendered, and we let them go. The entire problem with the warren was caused by their chief, and some of their owsla, all of which died during the fighting. And, Sam, I believe you should take it from here."

"Hold on," Buttercup interrupted harshly, "this is the second time you've used that name: Sam. It just so happens, there's a human in that house named the same thing. What's going on?"

Sam sighed. _She picked __**that**__ up quick._ "It's my name, Buttercup. My real name. Could you guys do me a favor and not freak out too much?" Buttercup and Willowort sat there wordlessly. _Well, here it goes_. Sam took a deep breath and transformed into human form. Their reactions were controlled, compared to what they might have been. Buttercup slowly backed away, shaking her head in disbelief, and Willowort moved between her and Sam, watching the teen with a wary gaze.

"Wha-what is this?" Buttercup stammered. "What happened to Sunflower?"

"Buttercup, it's me," Sam replied, "and my name is Sam. I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth last winter, but I didn't want to cause even more trouble than we already had."

Buttercup averted her eyes, which Sam swore were beginning to fill with tears. Willowort had a thoughtful look on his face before he spoke. "Why tell us now? I don't believe you three would have come all the way here just to show us this. What's really going on?"

Sam was impressed. _I don't give __**either**__ of them enough credit. They're more perceptive than their lifestyle would suggest._ "You're exactly right, Willowort. I came to warn you." Sam told them about how he and Woundwort had faced off after the main battle at Efrafa had been won. He told them how he freed Wheatstock, and what he had been told about the Black Rabbit. "And there's still one more bit you need to know. While we were talking, another human showed up. A girl. Her name was Alice. She killed Wheatstock, and she almost killed me. But the thing that scared me most was how much she knew. She already knew where our warren was, and even named a few of my friends that she shouldn't have known. I'm not sure what else she might know, so my other friends went to our other allies to tell them the same story I'm telling you. She's out there, and you need to be careful."

Both were speechless.

Sam waited for a response, but when none came, he spoke again. "So…if she **does** show up here, the lot of you need to run. The best plan would be for you to come to our warren, Watership Down. In fact…" Sam looked past the house in the direction they had traveled from. He could just make out the top of the Watership Down beech tree over the tree line. "You can actually see-"

"You've told us, now go," Buttercup interrupted coldly.

Sam's eyes widened in surprise. He looked to his friends and found Hazel with the same look on his face. Glade glared at Buttercup. He turned back to the two rabbits and saw that even Willowort looked surprised at the acid in Buttercup's tone.

"I-I'm sorry?" the teen responded.

"You heard me. I told you to go. Now that you've done what you came here for, there's no reason for you to stay. We may live near humans, but you're a fool if you think we trust them. I can't believe I asked you to stay with us. If I had known what you **really** were, I wouldn't have even allowed you into the warren! A human has no place among rabbits." She turned back towards the maze and began to walk away. "Leave. All of you. You are no longer welcome at this warren."

The Watership Down group watched as she bolted to the maze, not looking back. Glade shook with rage at Buttercup's words and looked like she wanted to follow. Sam placed a calming hand on her shoulder, making sure she did not start any trouble. Willowort sighed and looked back at the group.

"I apologize for Buttercup's harsh words. We truly are grateful for the information you've given us, and we will be on the watch for this Alice you spoke of." He turned towards the maze as well and began to walk away.

"Thanks, Willowort," Sam said in relief. "At least **someone** around here trusts me."

At his words, the rabbit stopped and look back at Sam with hard eyes. "Don't mistake my words for trust, human. You have deceived us. You've infiltrated our warren. And for all we know, by coming to speak to us, you may have made aware the very creature you sought to protect us from. There is a difference between coexisting with humans, and living with them. Buttercup is right: there is no place for you here."

Hazel stepped forward and faced Willowort. "If that's the way you feel Willowort, then so be it. If Alice comes, I would advise you to run to our warren in the high hills," he gestured in the direction of Watership Down. "But should you need anything else, you will find no assistance from us."

"Hazel!" Sam exclaimed in shock, "What are you-"

"I will not stand for such treatment of **anyone** in my warren," the chief responded without taking his eye off Willowort. "If they cannot accept you, then they cannot accept the rest of us."

"We have never needed outside help in the past," Willowort said, "and we will not ask for it now. Should the other human appear, we will defer to the one who can most likely deal with her," he looked at Sam. "In any other event, do not expect to hear from us again." With that, he turned and followed Buttercup into the maze, leaving the Watership Down group alone.

The group watched him go. Hazel turned back to Glade and Sam. "Let's go," he said in a much kinder voice.

They snuck back around the house in silence. Sam was depressed, thinking about what Hazel had told Willowort. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, breaking the pervading quiet. Glade continued to glare at the ground while Hazel looked at the teen in confusion.

"Why are you sorry, Sam? You didn't do anything."

Sam replied, "If I hadn't-"

"Stop."

Sam and Hazel glanced behind them and saw the Glade had stopped walking; she shook as she stared at the ground. She raised her head to look at them, and the pair saw rage written on her face.

"Just…stop it, Sam. I'm sick of you putting yourself down because a foolish group of rabbits can't see who you really are. It doesn't matter if you're a human, or a rabbit, or whatever! You're one of the kindest beings I've ever met, and if they can't look past your exterior to see that, then they don't deserve you as a friend. I'm proud to know you, Sam, and I know everyone back at the warren feels the same. They have no right to decide if you have a place with us or not, because we decided long ago that you do."

"Glade…" Sam said, stunned.

She let out a deep breath and gave Sam and Hazel a small smile before joining them. "I feel better now; we can go." Hazel nodded and walked ahead, leaving Sam and Glade to follow at a distance.

"Thank you, Glade," Sam said, smiling at the doe. "That meant a lot. It helps to know that, no matter what else happens, you're on my side." He nuzzled against her as he spoke.

"I always will be, Sam," she replied. They walked for a while in companionable silence, following Hazel as he led the way back to the down. Suddenly, Glade chuckled. "You know, I was about to beat the tail off Buttercup before you stopped me."

"And that's particularly **why** I stopped you," Sam said, chuckling as well. "The situation was already bad enough. The **last** thing we wanted to do was get in a fight."

Glade replied innocently, "Maybe the last thing **you** wanted to do. **I** think she deserved it."

The teen laughed at her words. "Well…maybe a little. Though, it still would have been a bad idea."

Glade's laughter faded as she went deep into thought. "Sam?" she said, haltingly. "There was one thing Buttercup said that surprised me. I didn't know she…asked you to stay with them. To leave us. You didn't tell us that part."

"She didn't think she was asking me to abandon you guys for them. From her point of view, it probably looked like Hazel and the others decided to be rid of a human loving member of their warren. I didn't think it was important because I never actually considered **agreeing** to it, so I never told any of you."

"You never considered leaving?" she asked quietly.

"Of course not," Sam replied with a smile. "I could never leave you guys. And besides, I promised you I'd be back."

"You're the best, Sam," Glade said, leaning against him as they walked.

The teen laughed. "I know."

"Aw, how cute."

The group stopped as a new voice seemed to emanate from all around them. Glade and Hazel looked around quickly, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. Sam froze immediately, having heard the voice before. He was the only one not surprised when Alice emerged from the foliage behind them. Her blade was slung casually over her shoulder, the sun reflecting off its orange body and wicked edges.

"It's been a while, Sammy-boy," Alice said, walking towards the group. She was smiling pleasantly, but Sam could see her black eyes swirling with hidden emotions.

"Not long enough, if you ask me," Sam replied guardedly.

Hazel moved back so he was close to Sam and Glade. "I take it this is Alice?" he whispered.

Sam nodded. "This is her."

"**She's** the one who hurt you so badly?" Glade asked, anger tingeing her voice. She glared at Alice and slowly walked forward.

Sam's eyes widened in alarm as he shifted to human form and ran in front of Glade. He held out his arm to stop her while keeping an eye on Alice, who had stopped her advance to watch with a bemused look on her face. "What are you doing, Glade?" he whispered fiercely. "Stay away from her. She's too dangerous."

"But-"

"Hazel," the teen said, "I need you to take Glade and get out of here. Go back to the down, I'll deal with Alice."

Hazel looked at him in surprise. "Are you sure, Sam? Glade **is** right when she says that the last time you two met wasn't very good for you. You shouldn't fight her alone."

"I was tired last time," Sam responded. "It was the day after the cave fight, and the same day as the actual battle at Efrafa. **And** I had just finished fighting Woundwort. By the time she showed up, I was almost tapped for energy. But this time," he said with a flourish as he brought his hands up, both glowing yellow, "I'm at full strength. I'll be alright, I promise."

The chief still looked unsure, but eventually nodded. "Alright, Sam. If that's what you think would be best, I'll listen to you. Just be careful. Glade, let's go."

Glade shook her head. "You go, Hazel. I'll stay and help Sam.

Hazel was about to respond, but Sam beat him to it. "No, Glade," the teen said forcefully, "**you** are going back to the down with Hazel. Let me handle this."

"No! This is what I was talking about, Sam. You're one of us, you don't have to do this alone."

"Getting bored!" The three turned and faced Alice, who was idly swinging her blade. "I get **violent** when I get bored, just lettin' ya know!"

Sam's eyes narrowed as he spun back to face Glade. "You're leaving, Glade. Now."

"But-"

"Get **out** of here, Glade!" Sam snapped. A hurt look flashed on her face before she nodded quickly, then turned and ran towards the down. Hazel gave Sam a sad look before he followed her. Sam sighed as he watched them go. _Fantastic…_ he thought sarcastically.

"Aw, what's the matter, Sammy-boy?" Alice asked, drawing Sam's attention back. "Lovers' quarrel? You know, that's really not how a gentleman should treat his lady friend. But I suppose you **have** been living with a bunch of animals for a while."

Sam brought up his hands and launched a Frith Beam directly at Alice. A smirk crossed her face as she jumped out of the way, leaving the beam to blow harmlessly into a tree.

_She's still fast,_ Sam thought, _but at least I can __**see**__ her this time._

Alice smiled brightly. "Hey! That was a **lot** stronger than you did last time. That's a relief, actually. I was worried that killing you would be so easy, I wouldn't even have to try." She put a hand to her face and scrunched her brow in concentration. "You're impressing me left and right today. You should have been on our side by now, but here you are, totally fine. Interesting."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked incredulously. "I would **never** join your side."

Alice giggled, her moment of seriousness over. "Well of course you wouldn't **choose** to join us. That's why Master told me to give you a little bitty cut somewhere. It takes over most animals in a few hours, but He figured you would take a bit longer. You know, being the **Messenger**, and all. To be honest, I was hoping you would have met me half-way back to Darkhaven, covered in your friends' blood." She flashed Sam her signature sweet smile.

Sam looked terrified at the prospect of being forced into service under the Black Rabbit. "So…so **that's** what was happening to my leg? You were trying to take over my mind?"

Alice tapped her finger to her chin in thought. "Well, I wouldn't really say your **mind**, more like your soul. After all, what's point of having thralls if they're so far gone that they can't see what we make them do? Her smile widened into a look bordering on insanity. "Hearing their minds cry out in anguish is just…fantastic. They're always so **guilty**."

A look of revulsion crossed Sam's face. He shook his head slowly. "How…how can you think that way? I know that the Black Rabbit is in your head, but can't you fight it at all? Let me help you. I can free you with my Frith Beam, if you let me."

Alice's eyes widened slowly and she hesitantly spoke. "You…you could do that? You can fight him? If you can free me, I would be eternally grateful. Thank you so much."

"Really?" Sam asked hopefully. "Do you mean it?"

Alice stared at Sam for a moment before she burst into laughter. Sam glared as she spoke. "You **believed** that? Oh, wow, you're really gullible. Master was right: the good guys **are** stupid." Sam swore and launched a Frith Beam at Alice, which she dodged with a side step. "Aw, no more talking?" she asked with a giggle, readying her sword, "Fine, I'm game for a fight. Try and keep up, Sammy-boy. This time, I'll cut you enough to make **sure** you turn."

Sam hardly had time to react when Alice launched herself at him, her sword an orange blur speeding towards Sam's face. Sam threw himself to the left and felt air whiz by his face. He grimaced as the dark blade nicked his arm, drawing blood. "I thought you were trying to turn me to your side," Sam said desperately. "It doesn't seem like taking my head off is very conducive to that."

"Oh, oh you thought…" Alice giggled. "Master doesn't need you **alive** to turn you to our side. The darkness is more than enough to sustain you. "In fact, it's actually **easier** to turn you if you're dead, because then you can't fight back."

Sam's face turned a shade whiter. _This day just gets better and better._

He lifted his hands and fired a barrage of energy balls at Alice. The girl smirked before jumping to the side, dodging the first two blasts. She looked up and saw one flying at her, too close to dodge. One swipe of her sword later, the halves of the ball flew to either side of Alice. "Nice try," she said to Sam. "But not nearly good enough. Got anything better?"

Sam charged a Frith Beam in each hand, and fired one at Alice. The girl jumped high into the air, avoiding the beam. Sam smiled, and launched the second beam where she was going to land. Alice's eyes widened in fear as she saw that the beam would hit her before she could make it to the ground to dodge again. Sam watched as the beam hit her, and stopped. Once the brightest of the light diminished, Alice still stood where she had landed.

Sam gaped in amazement.

She stood in a defensive pose, her sword held in front of her. She breathed heavily from the exertion of blocking the beam. Suddenly, a crack appeared in her sword. Sam watched with a grin as the sword broke into pieces, leaving just the hilt and six inches of the blade intact.

Sam laughed as a scowl crossed the girl's face. "Looks like we're even now."

She scoffed. "Even? For this? Please, Master can just make me a new one. And **this**," she held up the hilt and what little of the blade remained, "is more than enough to beat you." Alice rushed Sam in a tackle, sending him flying and leaving a deep gash on his shoulder.

Sam ignored the pain and focused on finding his bearings. He noticed the trees had thinned considerably. _Oh no,_ he thought, his fears confirmed. _I thought we were further from the down than this._ Alice had flung Sam out of the woods and onto the base of the hill that housed Watership Down. He could clearly see the tree from where he sat.

"Why do you look so worried, Sammy-boy?" Alice asked as she stepped out of the tree line. "Could it be because we're getting so close to your friends? Oh don't worry, I'm sure they'll be happy to see you." Sam stood and backed up as Alice closed in. "Did you know that the process of taking over your mind leaves no outside traces? All your wounds will be stitched up by the glorious darkness, and no one will be the wiser." She gave a cruel chuckle. "Your friends won't know the difference until it's too late. They'll be dead before they even comprehend what's happening. All by your hand." Sam stumbled on a rock and fell to the ground as Alice kept advancing on him. Terror shone on his face as the girl stopped in front of him, holding what remained of her sword in her hand. "You lose, Sammy-boy,"

Alice raised her blade into the air to stab Sam. The teen closed his eyes and waited for the pain. _I'm so sorry, everyone, _he thought, _I hope you make it out. _But he knew they had not. If anything, they were probably on the way with reinforcements to help him. Sam waited…but felt nothing. Hesitantly opening his eyes, he saw Alice's blade suspended in the air, not moving. Her face held surprise, which quickly dissolved into anger.

"What. Is. This?" Each word was accompanied by a downward stroke, attempting to hit Sam. But each stopped with a flash of light. Alice growled in anger. "**What are you doing? This isn't fair!**"

Before Sam could answer, a voice drifted on the wind. "WASTE NOT YOUR EFFORTS, CHILD OF RAGE. BY MY POWER, I DECLARE THE MESSENGER SHALL FOREVER HAVE SANCTUARY FROM THE DARKNESS OF YOU AND YOURS. RETURN TO YOUR HOLE; YOU WILL FIND NO VICTORY THIS DAY."

Sam watched as the darkness in Alice's eyes expanded until they looked like two small black holes staring back at him. She threw what was left of her sword to the ground, where it stuck in the dirt for a moment before it dissolved into a cloud of black smoke. She reached out a finger and pointed at Sam, sparks flying from where the tip of her finger grazed the barrier. "**Don't think this is over. You can't hide up there forever, and as soon as you leave, I'll be there. You will die,**" she pointed further up the hill. Sam turned and saw a group of rabbits running towards him, "**they will die. I will kill you all. Wait and see.**" When Sam turned back, she was gone.

"Sam!"

The teen turned to his friends and saw Bigwig in the lead, followed by Hazel and the entire owsla. "Hazel told us what happened," the captain said. "Are you alright? Where's Alice?"

"She's gone," Sam responded. "She ran off after she wasn't able to…kill me."

"You beat her?" Hazel asked, impressed. "How did you do it?"

"Interesting story about that, I actually-" Sam broke off as Campion and Holly walked past him, eyeing the tree line. He ran in front of the pair and held out his arms. "Hold on."

"Something wrong, Sam?" Holly asked.

"Let's just go home," Sam replied. "Everyone should hear this, it's important."

Hazel's ears went down, as did some of the others'. "Alright, Sam. Whatever it is, we can handle it."

Sam smiled. "Don't look so depressed, everyone. For once, I actually have **good** news. Mostly."

* * *

"…and that's the story," Sam said. He and the others stood at the top of the hill. The sun was just about to set, bathing the hill in deep red. "It looks like we actually have something going for us."

The rabbits were talking animatedly at the news. From where he stood, facing them, Sam felt a change in the mood that had been affecting his friends for the past week. Security replaced feelings of restlessness and unease.

"But don't start taking Alice lightly," Sam warned. "Don't forget, if she cuts you with her sword, she'll turn you to her side. We still have to be careful."

"I have a question," Silverweed said, causing the others to fall silent. "You said you heard a voice talking to Alice?" Sam nodded. "Did you recognize it?"

The teen shook his head. "Sorry, I didn't. Though, I was thinking about that. I have a theory, but it might be a stretch." The rabbits looked at him expectantly. "I think it might have been Frith." At his words, all the rabbits fell silent. "Well…" Sam continued, beginning to feel foolish, "Who else has that kind of power? The Black Rabbit might, but why in the world would he block his own servant? Prince Rainbow could have been able to do it, but he…" Sam looked away, sadness written on his face. "The Black Rabbit got him. Unless there's someone I'm missing, that leaves only Frith."

"It doesn't matter," Hazel said, stepping forward to stand next to Sam. "What matters is that we have protection from Alice as long as we stay on the down. Tomorrow we'll go and estimate where this barrier ends. For now, let's get some sleep." The sun had set while they spoke, and the down was shrouded in darkness. Everyone agreed and began to head into the warren for the night. Sam was about to go as well, until he was stopped by Clover.

"Sam," she said quietly, "do you know what's wrong with Glade? She's been really quiet all day." The pair looked over to the doe, who was standing at the edge of the hill, instead of having joined the others in the warren.

Sam sighed. "I'm pretty sure that's my fault. Don't worry, Clover. I'll talk to her."

Clover smiled. "Thank you, Sam. I know you'll make everything alright. Good night."

Sam watched her go, and then turned back towards Glade. Unsure of how to proceed, he sat next to her and watched the moon rise.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Glade glanced at him, and then looked at the ground. "You've never yelled at me like that before."

Sam gave a pained smile. "I've never needed you to listen that much before." Glade shot him a confused look, so Sam continued. "I didn't want you to get hurt, Glade. I know you're mad at Alice for what she's done, but that doesn't mean you should risk your life. I was just…scared, that she was going to hurt you."

"But I could have helped you!" Glade said desperately. "You don't need to fight alone."

"Glade…" Sam sighed. "I know you're there for me. I **know** that. But this is why I was brought here. I was meant to fight the Black Rabbit and any of his minions. It's my job. I just…need you to trust that I can do it."

Glade glared at him. "You know I trust you, Sam. I've made that very clear. It's just…I don't want anything to happen to **you**, either."

"Then how about we make a deal? I won't hesitate to ask for your help, or anyone's, if I need it. But in return, if I tell you to go, you'll listen. Does that sound fair?"

"No," she pouted, then gave him a small smile. "But I supposed it's the best I'm going to get. I'm sorry, Sam."

He gave her a hug and she nuzzled his face in return. "Don't worry, we're good. Come on, let's go get some sleep." She nodded and the two walked back to the warren. As they were about to enter the burrow they still shared with Pipkin and Clover, Sam noticed Bigwig, Holly, and Campion still awake and talking in the main chamber. "You go ahead, Glade," Sam said. "I'll be right with you." She nodded and continued into the burrow, while Sam went to talk to the three owsla members. "What's going on guys?" he asked.

"Hello, Sam," Holly replied. "We were just discussing how to adjust the warren's defenses in light of the new information you've given us."

Bigwig continued, "Most of the patrols are going to be discontinued. Sentry positions inside the barrier will take their place."

"Some patrols will still be run outside the barrier, but those will mostly be the four of us, with Glade and Strawberry helping out, if needed," Campion finished.

Sam nodded, impressed. "You got that figured out in a hurry. Actually, though, I came to ask if I could get some extra training."

Bigwig's eyes widened in mock-amazement. "You? You miss even more training than Hawkbit does. What brought this about?"

Sam chuckled. "I skipped training because I was getting the job done with no problem. But now…that isn't the case."

"Well, what kind of training do you want?" Holly asked.

"Let's begin with speed," Sam responded.

A/N: Hey everyone, as always, sorry about the long waits between chapters. My Christmas break wasn't quite as productive as I had predicted, but now that I'm back at school, hopefully I'll focus on writing a bit more.

One more thing. I never say this enough, but I want to thank my beta reader, For The Kingdom, for going over all my chapters. You guys really don't realize how rough this story would sound if I didn't have her help.


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Sam closed his eyes. A light breeze caressed his face and rustled his fur. He heard the breath of the three opponents surrounding him. The teen took a deep breath, nodded, and opened his eyes.

Nothing happened immediately, but soon, Sam heard the sound of paws hitting grass behind him. Sam turned just in time to move out of the way. He tackled his opponent, sending him to the ground. A whistling in the air was all the warning Sam had to duck. A paw nicked the tips of his ears, and he sent a blind kick behind him, hearing a satisfying grunt as he hit one of his other opponents. The third rabbit leapt onto his back and tried to pin him down, but Sam rolled with him and threw him to the ground with the others. The three stood and faced him.

Sam slowly backed up, keeping a careful eye on all three. But instead of moving to pursue him, they rose out of their fighting stances. Sam was suspicious before he was suddenly tackled from behind. He ended up on his back, with weights on his torso and limbs. He opened his eyes and was face to face with Pipkin who was sitting on his chest with a wide smile on his face. Snowdrop and Gillia were holding down his arms, while Blackavar pinned his legs.

Sam heard chuckling behind him. "Your lesson for today, Sam," Bigwig said as he sat at the teen's head, "is to never trust your enemies to fight fair. You have no idea how many rabbits the Black Rabbit has on his side. Alice might not always be alone."

The teen shot a wry smile in return. "So you use the junior owsla on me? That's low Bigwig, that's really low. Oh Pipkin," Sam said, turning his attention to the no longer so little buck, "would you mind getting off of me?"

He flashed a triumphant smile. "So you give up, Sam? Haha! That means the junior owsla just defeated its first opponent!"

_Well, I suppose they're all big enough to take a little roughhousing_, Sam thought as he changed to human form. Snowdrop and Gillia, surprised by the transition of rabbit legs to thinner human arms, were thrown off balance enough for Sam to yank his arms out from under them. In a swift motion, he swept the two off their feet and they landed in a pile behind him.

Blackavar, now lying on flexible human knees instead of rabbit legs, quickly found himself flying over Sam's head and landing on his sisters.

Pipkin suddenly found himself alone. "Uh oh…" He barely managed to get the words out before he, too, was in the pile with his friends.

Sam chuckled as he stood and dusted himself off. "And **your** lesson for the day is to never count an opponent out. They might have one more trick up their sleeve." The young rabbits untangled themselves from the pile and stared petulantly at Sam. The teen gave a good-natured sigh. "Alright, alright, I'll give you that one. You got me; good job."

"Thank you for your help, Pipkin," Bigwig said. "You lot are getting better."

Pipkin smiled widely in return. "I think so too! Do you think we're almost ready to go on our first patrol?"

The four older rabbits exchanged a concerned glance. Bigwig replied, "I wouldn't go that far, Pipkin. Just because you work well together for your age, it doesn't mean that you can go on patrol. You have no experience, and you're the only one with any kind of training. And **that** is only obstacle course runs."

"But we've run the obstacle course hrair times!" Blackavar protested. "We're even faster than Hawkbit!"

Snowdrop continued, "Besides, you three help us all the time." Bigwig, Holly, and Campion traded confused looks. "You've **all** given us some training!"

"You've been training them?" Bigwig asked Holly and Campion semi-accursedly.

"Not me," Holly insisted immediately. "I've been your captain before, Bigwig, you know I don't train rabbits until they're old enough. I saw them doing their own training and merely suggested ways they could improve, that's all."

Bigwig shifted his gaze to Campion. "I didn't train them," Campion insisted. "They **asked** me if I would, but I told them they would have to go through you first. I taught them some exercises from Efrafa. We used to teach them to overzealous kittens to give them a leg up when they were old enough for owsla training, but that was all."

Bigwig raised an eyebrow. "Nothing else?"

"No, nothing else. This is **your** owsla, Bigwig. I wouldn't think of taking your authority."

Bigwig nodded, then sighed. "I…might have done the same thing." He turned his attention back to the junior owsla. "Still, that's no substitute for real training. There's no way Hazel would let me put you on patrol."

The junior owsla members stuck their heads together and began to converse in hurried whispers. They spoke for ten seconds before nodding simultaneously and turning to face Bigwig and the others again. "So if we can convince Hazel to let us go on patrol, then you'd let us go?"

Bigwig chuckled to himself. _Well, I __**would**__ like to try them out. And I'm sure I can make up a safe enough route._ "Alright," he agreed. "If you can get Hazel to agree, then you can go on patrol."

Pipkin smiled widely while the other three let out yell of triumph. "Thanks Bigwig, you can count on us! Junior owsla!" At his shout, the other three stood at attention. "We go to meet with Hazel. Forward, march!" Pipkin walked toward the warren with the others behind him, forming a diamond formation.

Bigwig watched them go before turning to Sam. "We might as well go with them. We'll call an end to your training for the day. Thank you, Holly and Campion, for your help." The pair nodded. "Come on, Sam." Sam turned back to rabbit form and followed the junior owsla toward the warren. They went around the tree and found the group of young rabbits talking to Hazel.

"We can do it, Hazel," they heard Pipkin say as they approached. "The owsla used to let me go patrolling with them before we started fighting with Efrafa, I know I can lead a patrol on my own."

Hazel looked uncertain. "Pipkin, I know you've been on patrols before, but that doesn't mean you have any experience **leading** one. And Snowdrop, Gillia, and Blackavar haven't had any real training. I just don't know if you're ready. Bigwig, what do you think?"

Bigwig chuckled. "Honestly, Hazel, I'm not sure. I think they would be alright on a patrol, and I already have a route ready for them. I sent them to you because they **are** your kittens. You should have a say in this."

"I don't think this is a good time," Hazel replied. "I know we haven't seen Alice for a while."

"Two and half weeks," Sam supplied.

"Right. But I still think it's too dangerous for you to be out there alone."

"But Hazel," Pipkin protested, "we can't stay up here forever."

The other three junior owsla members nodded their agreement. Snowdrop continued, "If we let the threat of Alice appearing keep us trapped in our own warren, then they've already won."

"We want to help, Parli," Blackavar said. "We know we need training before we could stand a chance at fighting back against Alice and the Black Rabbit, but at least we can do **something** to keep the warren safe."

Pipkin smiled. "I promise Hazel, if we see anything strange, we'll come right back and tell Bigwig and Sam. Just…please give us a chance."

Hazel considered before he responded. "Alright, you can have your chance." Before the junior owsla could say anything, Hazel quickly continued. "But not yet. It's wonderful that you want to help the warren, but I won't allow any rabbits to go patrolling that don't know how to fight. How about this: once the four of you, working as a unit, can pin Sam, then you can go on patrol." Hazel did not notice Sam and Bigwig smile widely at his words. _By the time they manage to get that good, we will have already-_

"We're going on patrol!"

Hazel was surprised at the outburst. "Well, **eventually** you will be going on patrol, but that won't be for quite a while."

"But we pinned Sam already!" Pipkin protested.

"What?"

"It's true, Hazel," Sam said, struggling to hold in his laughter. "When I was practicing with Bigwig, Campion, and Holly, they joined in and jumped me from behind. If I wasn't able to turn into a human, I would have been pinned."

Hazel was shocked. "B-But that's not what I-" He saw the junior owsla staring at him with expectantly hopeful looks. Sam and Bigwig watched as he sighed in defeat. "Fine," he murmured. "You can go on patrol. But **only** after Bigwig gives you some training."

"Deal!" Pipkin yelled. "Alright junior owsla, we're finally going on patrol. Let's go get ready." The other members nodded and the four ran off.

Hazel shook his head as he watched them go. He turned back to Sam. "They pinned you? How in Frith's name did that happen?"

"Well," Sam began, embarrassed, "like I said, I was practicing with Bigwig and the others, and I was doing pretty well. All of a sudden, they tackled me from behind. Before I realized what had happened, I was pinned. I **was** able to throw them off once I was in my human form, but that shouldn't count. They pinned me, fair and square."

Bigwig tried to reassure his friend. "Don't worry Hazel, it won't be that bad. I've already thought of a few routes that will take them slightly outside the barrier. Not far enough for them to be in any danger, but still out far enough that we **do** need it patrolled. Sam, Holly, Campion and I don't have time to consistently cover everything. If they **could** take some of the lighter patrolling off our paws, it could end up being very helpful."

"Why can't the regular owsla do it?" Hazel countered. "Why are we putting rabbits, **kittens**, at risk who haven't been trained, when we have owsla members merely standing sentry? I find this strange, Bigwig. Usually you're one of the biggest proponents of proper training. Why are you so accepting of this?"

Bigwig, surprisingly, looked a bit embarrassed. "To be honest Hazel, it's a bit of an experiment I'm trying. Those four are **so** eager to be in the owsla, I figured we could get their training started early. It's true that none of them are big enough yet to begin combat training, but there's no reason why they can't learn tactics and strategy now. They're all bright young rabbits, and if they're willing to learn, I say we should teach them. When they get older, they could make a truly fearsome team."

"Can…Can you at least promise me they'll be safe?" Hazel asked.

"You know I can never promise that, Hazel," the captain replied. "But I can do my best. Sam and I plan to secretly tail them for a while to make sure everything goes alright."

Sam perked up. "Wait, we do? When did we plan this?

Bigwig snorted. "Just now. You got pinned by them, so it's partly your fault for them going out there. Therefore, you're going to be partly responsible for keeping them safe. Besides, your stealth skills could use some work. Try not to get caught."

"Fine," Hazel said, resigned. "They can go. Give them what training you think they'll need. Just…" he sighed.

Sam stepped forward and put a paw on his friends shoulder. "Don't worry, Hazel. We won't let anything happen to them."

Hazel gave them a small smile. "I have to let them grow up. If you think they'll be alright, then I'll trust you."

* * *

It was three days later when Bigwig, Hazel, and the junior owsla stood on the top of the hill. After two days of intense patrol training and one day of rest, the young rabbits were ready for their first official patrol.

"Alright Pipkin," Bigwig said, "you remember the route we went on?"

"Yes Bigwig, I remember," Pipkin responded impatiently. "First down the hill to the east, and then follow the barrier half way around the hill. After that, we just follow the route you showed us, check around the farm for any sign of human encroachment, and watch for anything suspicious."

The captain nodded. "And if you **find** anything suspicious?"

"If it's elil, we hide. If it's another rabbit, sneak up on them, and if we think they aren't possessed, ask them where they're from and what they want. If we smell a human, we sprint for the barrier, keeping to the heaviest brush we can find. Anything else?"

Bigwig shook his head. "Nothing I can think of. This is still earlier than I would **like** for you to be going on patrol, but I think you're ready. Anything to add, Hazel?"

Hazel gave a small smile and shook his head. "No, I can't think of anything. Just…be careful."

"Don't worry, Hazel," Pipkin said, "I'll keep them safe."

"Thank you Pipkin, but I want **you** to be careful too. All of you are important to us."

"Thank you, Hazel," Pipkin replied. He turned to the others. "Are you ready to go?" They nodded. "Alright. We'll be back soon. Junior owsla, move out!" When he finished speaking, the junior owsla left to the east in a diamond formation.

Bigwig and Hazel watched them leave. "Do you really think they're ready, Bigwig?"

He nodded. "I do, Hazel. If I wasn't sure three days ago, after watching them go through the training, I have no doubt they'll be alright."

"Alright," Hazel replied. "If you believe that, then I'll trust you."

Bigwig chuckled. "Do you trust me enough to **not** have Sam out there spying on them?"

"Well, you can't be too careful. I'd like the two of you to follow them for a while. Just to be sure."

"Believe me, Hazel," Bigwig replied, "They're going to be fine. Once they get older, they're going to make fine members of the owsla." The captain chuckled. "You know, being your kits, I almost wonder where they get it from."

Hazel shot Bigwig a sly glance. "You've never seen Primrose angry, have you?"

* * *

Sam and Bigwig crouched next to each other in some bushes, trying to stay silent. The junior owsla was on patrol again.

"You know," Sam whispered jokingly to Bigwig, "I think you might have trained them too well. They're getting harder to follow. Pretty soon, they're going to catch on that we've been following them." Sam sighed. "For a whole week." Not content to go on patrol only once, the junior owsla had gone patrolling every day for a week. Either Sam or Bigwig had followed them each time and had nothing but good to report back to Hazel.

"Sam, that's a **good** thing," Bigwig replied. "I've already told Hazel that as soon as they catch us, I'm going to consider them prepared for solo patrol."

"Well, I guess it will be nice not to have to follow them anymore. They haven't had any problems while I've been after then, and-" Sam froze as he heard rustling. "Shh, here they come." The two rabbits watched as the four youngsters made their way along the patrol route, with Pipkin in the lead. The patrol passed by the hidden pair and stopped along the route as Pipkin called for a halt. Sam and Bigwig watched as he gathered the others close and gave them orders too quiet to hear. Suddenly they sprinted away from the patrol route in two groups. Pipkin and Snowdrop went one way, and Gillia and Blackavar went the other.

"Looks like they might catch us sooner than I thought," Bigwig said as he prepared to more. "You follow Pipkin, I'll follow the others."

Sam nodded and ran after Pipkin and Snowdrop, keeping to cover and doing his best to stay silent. Following the two was not difficult. In their hurry, the two rabbits were doing little to hide their trail. Soon, Sam came up to a clearing in the woods, and saw Snowdrop alone with her back to a tree. The doe appeared to be on her guard and was casting her head around, smelling for something.

Sam's eyes narrowed in suspicion. _Well I found Snowdrop, but where's…oh no!_ Before Sam could turn around, he felt a sudden weight on his back. He was pressed flat on his stomach and two paws were pressed against the base of his head, rendering him immobile.

"Ha! Got'cha!" Sam heard Pipkin cry out from on top of him. "Snowdrop! I've got him! Come here!"

Sam sighed and smiled proudly. "Good job, Pipkin. I can only assume Bigwig is getting the same treatment from Blackavar and Gillia?"

"Yup," the young buck said, jumping off his friend. "We know you've been following us for a while, we just had to wait for the right time to do something about it. I was kind of surprised that both you **and** Bigwig came along today, but I think it worked out alright. Come on Sam, let's go meet the others. I told Gillia and Blackavar to wait with Bigwig until we came to get them."

Sam nodded and followed Pipkin and Snowdrop. The junior captain led him back to where they had split off, and then in the opposite direction. It was not long before they came to another clearing. There was a fallen tree suspended above the area, held partially off the ground by the numerous branches. Sam saw a path through the branches, cleared out by animals that had come through the clearing in the past. Pipkin led them through the trail, and stopped on the other side. He looked around with confusion written on his face.

"That's strange," he said. "I told them to wait right here. I wonder where they-" Pipkin cut off as he heard voices on the wind.

Sam recognized the tone of Bigwig's voice, though he could not understand the words. "It's coming from this way," he said, walking in the direction of the voice. "Come on!" The three followed Bigwig's voice until they began to hear running water. Sam walked out from a group of trees and saw Bigwig, Blackavar, and Gillia crouching on a small cliff, looking downwards.

Bigwig heard them approach and gestured furiously for them to keep quiet and crouch down as well. "About time you got here, Sam. What do you make of that?" The captain pointed over the edge of the cliff.

Sam looked where Bigwig pointed. Over the cliff edge was a small beach alongside a stream. Sam looked closely and gawked in surprise. Laying on the ground was a small brown and white bird. "Is that…"

"A hawk, yes," Bigwig replied. "Only a young one, though. And it's injured; look under its wing." Sam looked back, and sure enough, there was a splash of red against the bird's white under feathers.

"So what are we going to do, Bigwig?" Sam asked.

"I think it would be best for us to-" Bigwig began before he stopped, a thoughtful look on his face. He turned to the junior owsla. "This is your patrol Pipkin, what do **you** think we should do?"

The buck's eyes widened. "You want me to decide?" Bigwig nodded. Pipkin closed his eyes and considered carefully. Eventually, he said, "I think…we should try to talk to it." Five sets of eyes widened at his words. "It's young and injured: that might put it in a more compromising position. Personally, I think having a hawk on our side against the Black Rabbit would be good, don't you?"

"Interesting thought," Bigwig said. "That is certainly not what I was going to do, but let's try it. How would you have us proceed?"

"Junior owsla" Pipkin said with conviction, "you will wait here while Bigwig, Sam, and I go and see if the hawk will talk to us." Seeing his friends about to protest, Pipkin quickly continued. "If the hawk has no interest in talking, it could be a very dangerous situation. None of us have any proper combat training, so we can't risk going down there. The only reason I'm going down is because I'm the best hedgerow speaker in the warren, and unless the hawk somehow knows lapine, I'm going to be needed." The rest of the junior owsla looked disappointed, but they nodded their agreement. Pipkin turned back to the two older rabbits. "Bigwig, thank you for letting me make the decision, but I'd rather you lead the way. This is important, and I'm not going to take the chance that I might mess something up. And if talking doesn't work, we may need to…"

"Alright, Pipkin," Bigwig responded, "I understand. You ready, Sam?"

Sam sighed. "I suppose." He followed Bigwig as the captain began to look around. The teen muttered, "It's just a kid, though."

Bigwig found a narrow path through the rocks that led down to the beach, and the three made their way down it. As they stepped onto the beach, the hawk noticed them. Sam and Bigwig froze as the hawk eyed them nervously, and they gestured to Pipkin to stay further back on the path where the hawk could not reach him. Sam exchanged a glance with Bigwig and nodded. He took a few cautious steps closer. The hawk reacted immediately. Sam, Pipkin, and Bigwig's eyes widened when it suddenly pressed itself against the cliff wall, trying to make itself look as small as possible. It screeched in fear.

"It…is it **scared** of us?" Bigwig asked incredulously.

"Well yeah, Bigwig," Sam shot back, "It's not old enough to fight back. Heck, I bet it can't even **fly** yet."

Bigwig snorted in annoyance. "Well now what do we do? We can't just let it go."

"And what are you thinking? That we kill it out of hand? It's just a **baby**, Bigwig!"

"So **you** want to give it a chance to grow up and hunt us later?"

As the pair bickered, neither noticed Pipkin walk onto the beach and towards the hawk. The bird was less alarmed with the smaller rabbit, but it still did not stray from the wall. Pipkin smiled nervously. "Um, hello. My name is Pipkin. Who are you?"

At first, it did not seem as though the hawk would answer. It glanced at Sam and Bigwig, who were still arguing, then back at Pipkin. In very broken lapine, the hawk responded, "Name…Scree. You…friend?"

Pipkin smiled wider. "I'd love to be friends with you, Scree. But I have to ask, are you alright? Your wing…"

Scree's face crinkled up in concentration as he struggled to understand Pipkin. "Wing hurt. I…" Scree shook his head, not knowing the words.

"Pipkin!"

Pipkin looked back and Sam, who finally noticed Pipkin's close presence to Scree. The hawk had plastered itself against the cliff wall once more.

"Pipkin, what are you doing?" Sam yelled in panic. "Get away from there!"

Pipkin replied, "Stop, Sam! He's friendly! Stop yelling, you're scaring him. His name is Scree, and I don't think he means to hurt us." Pipkin turned back to Scree. "You don't have to worry, Scree. They're friends too. They won't hurt you." Sam and Bigwig approached Pipkin slowly, and Scree moved away from the wall. Pipkin waited until they were all standing in a group, though Scree kept his distance. Pipkin spoke to the rabbits. "So, what are we going to do?"

Sam responded, "Well, let's start with what happened to his wing. Here, let me take a look." Sam approached the hawk, only for him to back away, fear written on his face. Sam stopped and backed up. "Alright then, can you **tell** me what happened?"

"I…wing, fly…" Scree tried to explain, but was unable to find the words.

"Pipkin," Bigwig said, "can you try hedgerow? Maybe he speaks that better." Pipkin nodded and spoke in a language Sam did not understand. Scree did not respond and only looked more confused.

"No good," Pipkin said. "I don't think he speaks any hedgerow at all."

"Sorry for going a bit off track," Sam said, "but what's hedgerow?"

Bigwig answered. "Think of it like a common language. Most animal species have their own language, like rabbits have lapine. Hedgerow is a language that most animals know some of, but none speak fluently. And apparently, Scree is so young that he doesn't even know any hedgerow."

"Huh, I've been here a long time, but I just keep learning things," Sam said. "So, do you think Kehaar would be able to talk to Scree in whatever the bird language is called?"

Bigwig's eyes widened. "Sam! That's brilliant! I'm sure Kehaar would be able to talk to Scree."

"I can send Blackavar, Snowdrop, and Gillia back to the down to get him," Pipkin suggested.

Sam shook his head. "No, I have a quicker way." Sam turned to his human form, grimacing as Scree pressed himself against the wall again, looking more frightened than ever. Sam spoke while he summoned his powers, one hand glowing green and the other red. "Kehaar and I came up with this a while ago. He was thinking that I should have some way of getting his attention quickly if we were to get separated like we did over the winter. So I tinkered around with my powers a bit, and got this!" Sam held up a green energy ball and looked no different from others he had used in the past, except that it had a red center.

"What's that?"

Sam looked behind him where the remaining members of the junior owsla sat on the beach. "Didn't we tell you to wait up on the cliff?" Sam asked, annoyed.

"We got bored."

The teen sighed. "I suppose that was inevitable. Just stand back." The rabbits cleared a space around Sam. He looked for a hole in the tree cover and threw the energy ball into the sky. As soon as the ball was high in the air, Sam snapped his fingers and the ball exploded with an echoing bang.

Bigwig covered his ears in pain. "Embleer Frith, Sam, what was that?"

Sam barely heard him through the ringing in his ears. "Sorry, I don't remember it being that loud. Basically, I just put one of those bombs I used in the cave into the middle of an energy ball. I can launch the ball a lot further than the bomb itself can go, so I can use it as a makeshift flare. I'm sure Kehaar heard that, so he should be on his way soon."

"I doubt he could have missed it," Pipkin said.

"Sam!"

Everyone looked to the sky to see Kehaar approaching quickly. The gull alighted between Scree and the rabbits.

"You call me here to deal with hawk?" Kehaar asked, keeping a firm eye on the petrified Scree. "Kehaar no afraid! I fight hawks three times your size!"

"No no, Kehaar," Sam said, placing a hand on the gull's wing, "quite the opposite actually. Scree over there appears to be peaceful, but he can barely speak lapine. We were wondering if you could talk to him. We want to know how he came to be here, and if he would be willing to be friends with us."

Kehaar looked at Scree, then back at Sam. "Friends with a hawk? You serious?" Sam nodded. Kehaar shook his head and muttered to himself as the walked over to the hawk. "Crazy human, making friends with everything. What next, firestick? Or **fire**? Why not? No danger anywhere, just friends." Scree tensed as Kehaar closed in on him, but calmed immediately as soon as the gull began to speak.

The rabbits listened to the two birds speak in a flurry of squeaks and squawks.

"What do you think they're saying?" Gillia asked.

"Hopefully something good," Bigwig responded. "I'm not ashamed to admit I would have never considered trying to ally with a hawk. This is really inspired, Pipkin."

Pipkin blushed in embarrassment. "Thanks, Bigwig."

It was then that they heard Kehaar and Scree stop talking. Kehaar walked over to his friends, with Scree close behind.

"So how did it go, Kehaar?" Sam asked, keeping an eye on Scree. The hawk was still nervous, but came closer to the rabbits than he had before. Strangely, he was eyeing Sam with particular nervousness. "What did Scree have to say?"

"Is sad story. Begins with poor mother. Youngling and mother sitting in nest, minding own business, when suddenly, mother calls for quiet. Both listen, and hear strange talking from ground. Mother fly down to see what problem is. Then, Scree hear yell of mother. Pained yell. He look down, and…" Kehaar grimaced, "sees mother on ground, dead. But strangest thing is, he also sees small human standing over mother. She looks up, smiles, and leaves."

"Alice," Sam said angrily. He thought for a moment before a look of fear crossed his face. "How did she die?"

"What?" Kehaar asked, mortified.

"Ask Scree how she died. Did Alice use her sword? It's important, Kehaar."

The gull shook his head, but turned to Scree and asked. The hawk responded with a few high pitched whistles. "No, she not have anything. There was nothing but her."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. _If Alice didn't use her sword, then his mother won't be turned to the Black Rabbit's side. It's still terrible, but at least she can rest in peace._ He saw that everyone was looking at him curiously. "I'll explain later. Just…keep on with the story."

Kehaar nodded. "Once Alice gone, Scree try and fly down to mother, but not know how to fly yet. Bad landing, but no hurt. Nothing else to do, Scree run. Run for long time, until reach this place. It was nighttime, and Scree not see cliff. Now, Scree stuck here. Can't fly, wing hurt, and no path for walking out."

"Can't he use the path we walked down?" Blackavar asked.

Bigwig shook his head. "He wouldn't fit. I barely got through it, and he's bigger than I am. No, I think the only way for him to get out would be to fly."

"Well first thing's first," Sam decided, "he isn't going to be able to fly if his wing is hurt. Kehaar, can you ask if he would let me take a look at it?"

The gull nodded and turned back to Scree, asking his question. As they spoke, Kehaar gestured to Sam with his wing. Scree's eyes widened and he shook his head furiously. Kehaar spoke quicker and more urgently, concern tingeing his voice. He lifted his wing and pointed to the area that was injured on Scree, shaking his head. The two birds stared at each other for a moment, until Scree nodded his head weakly.

"He let you help," Kehaar said. "I make him realize it better than staying and dying."

"Alright," Sam said. He approached the hawk slowly. Scree still looked at him with suspicion, but did not move away like he had before. He lifted his wing to give Sam easier access to the injury. The teen looked over the red feathers, noticing that they were still glistening near where the wing met the rest of his body. Sam ran his fingers gently across the area, frowning as he heard Scree croon in pain. His fingers met something small and hard, embedded in the bird's flesh. "Tell him to get ready," Sam told Kehaar, "I'm going to pull this out." Kehaar muttered something to Scree and nodded to Sam. The teen grasped the object, and yanked. Scree jumped back with a cry of pain. Sam looked in his hand; there was a stone splinter about an inch long.

Scree poked under his wing for a moment before muttering quietly to Kehaar. The gull chuckled before turning to Sam. "He say thank you. Wing feeling better already."

"I'm glad to help," Sam responded. "Kehaar, can you ask Scree what he plans to do now? See if he would be willing to join the warren like you have." The gull nodded. "Bigwig, can I have a word with you?" Sam and Bigwig moved away from the group, leaving Kehaar and the junior owsla to help Scree into the water to clean out his wound. Sam checked to make sure none of the others were listening. "What do we do about this, Bigwig?"

He sighed. "I'm not sure. We should tell Hazel. This is too important to keep a secret."

"You can't tell him!"

The pair looked behind them to find Snowdrop sitting with a frown on her face, followed quickly by the rest of the youngsters. Pipkin had a concerned look on his face.

"You're going to tell Hazel?" Pipkin asked. "But what if he doesn't trust Scree? What if he decides that Scree would be better off…" Pipkin lowered his voice, "dead?"

Bigwig exchanged a look with Sam and shook his head. "Then it's his decision to make. I'm not going to make a decision that could get rabbits killed."

"But, but," Pipkin protested. "Sam, you can't let him do this."

Sam shifted into rabbit form. "Actually, I agree with him. You have to believe in Hazel, Pipkin. He's the chief, and if he thinks that Scree **not** being a part of the warren would be for the best, then we would listen to him. I trust Hazel to make the right choice. You three stay here, we'll go get Hazel."

"But I-" Pipkin's protest died. "Fine. We'll keep Scree company."

* * *

Hazel walked between Sam and Bigwig through the woods. They were on their way to meet with the junior owsla, Kehaar, and Scree.

"So let me see if I get this straight," Hazel said, barely containing his anger, "you found a young hawk?" Bigwig nodded. "And instead of taking care of it like logic would dictate, you decided to talk to it, even going so far as to heal its injuries?" Sam nodded. "And **then**, you leave Pipkin and my kits alone. With a hawk."

"It sounds bad when you put it that way, Hazel-rah," Bigwig admitted. "But I don't think you have anything to worry about. Scree…was much more peaceful than I would have thought. Pipkin had a good idea to try and talk-"

Hazel rounded on the captain and began to shout. "This was **Pipkin's** idea? And you listened? What is **wrong** with you?"

"Hazel, calm down," Sam said. "It's really not as bad as you think it is."

"And what have **you** done to stop this foolishness?" Hazel shot back. "I don't know what's wrong with you two; I sent you out with them to **watch** them, not shove them into danger."

Bigwig was about to respond when Sam held up a paw, silencing him. "Look, we'll talk about it when we get there. There's no point in arguing until you see him, anyway."

Hazel said nothing and followed the pair to the beach. They looked over the cliff side when they got there, and saw Scree sitting on the ground, surrounded by the junior owsla and Kehaar. They appeared to be talking calmly.

"See, Hazel?" Sam said a bit smugly. "He doesn't look all that threatening, does he?"

"I'll be the judge of that. How do we get down there?"

"This way." Sam led Hazel to the narrow path they found earlier, but stopped him before they started down it. "Hazel, hang on. This poor kid just had his mom killed by Alice, had to run for his life for who knows how long, and got trapped on that beach. The last thing he needs is for you to be a jerk to him, too. So go easy, alright?"

"We'll see," Hazel said, pushing passed the teen. They walked down the path catching everyone's attention at they did. Blackavar, Snowdrop, and Gillia ran up to Hazel excitedly, while Pipkin followed slowly.

"Hello, Hazel," Pipkin said cautiously. "I suppose you've come to see Scree?"

"I think you have some explaining to do, Pipkin," Hazel said evenly. "This is extremely foolish; why did you think trying to befriend a hawk was a good idea?"

Pipkin gulped nervously, but answered Hazel all the same. "I…I thought he could be a big help if he was friendly. We need all the help we can get against the Black Rabbit, and Scree isn't the first elil we've made friends with. I just…saw an opportunity."

"And what if it hadn't gone alright? What then? Someone could have gotten hurt!"

"But they didn't, Hazel," Pipkin said more forcefully. "I had Snowdrop, Gillia, and Blackavar stay on the top of the cliff, and I went down alone with Sam and Bigwig. If anything **had** happened, they could have handled it. I **know** it was dangerous, so I was careful."

"That's not the point, Pipkin. You-"

"Please stop yelling at him, Parli!" Hazel looked surprised as Snowdrop interrupted him. "Pipkin told us to wait on the cliff, but we didn't listen. And Scree is really nice!" She cast a forlorn look at the hawk, who still sat stood with Kehaar watching the rabbits talk. "He's already been attacked by Alice, doesn't that make him our ally?"

Hazel looked at the pleading looks of the four junior owsla members and sighed. "Just let me talk to him. I'll…see what he has to say." The chief approached the pair of birds. Scree, to his credit, made no move to retreat from the newcomer as he had before. "Hello, your name is Scree?"

The hawk nodded.

"I'm Hazel, the chief of the warren and leader of the rabbits that found you. I have yet to hear your full story; will you tell me how you came to be here?"

With Kehaar translating, Scree told Hazel what he had told the others. The chief listened attentively, shaking his head in sadness when Scree told of his mother being murdered by Alice. At the end of the story, Scree looked at Kehaar and nodded. Then on his own in struggling lapine, he said, "Scree want be friend. No want hurt rabbits. Rabbits help Scree, Scree help rabbits."

"See, Hazel?" Sam said, "Scree is nice. He's hardly the most dangerous thing we've come across. Why are you so suspicious?"

"Because he's elil," Hazel replied. "Hawks are incredibly dangerous. But…" He glanced at Scree, who was now talking quietly to Kehaar. Hazel sighed. "He seems friendly enough. I'm sorry, Sam, for all the yelling. And for not trusting you."

"It's alright, Hazel. You were just being a bit…paternal."

The chief shook his head sadly. "Maybe so, but that's no excuse. What am I going to do when they're grown and in the owsla proper? Am I still going to over react? We aren't in a position for me to be turning away potential allies."

"Don't worry, Hazel," Sam said with a smile. "No harm done. The important thing **now** is getting Scree out of here and back to the down."

"Right now?" Hazel asked. "Shouldn't we at least give the others some warning before we go walking onto the down?"

"I think it would be better to get him to safety as soon as we can. If Alice were to show up again, Scree wouldn't stand a chance. Especially now that he's officially on our side. If she wasn't actively hunting him before, she's sure to be now. And with that injury, I doubt he'd be able to fly for a few days at least."

"Actually, can't fly yet," Kehaar interrupted. "Mother going to teach soon, but…"

"Even better," Sam said with a sigh. "Well, we have to figure out **something**." He glanced around at the beach. It was surrounded by cliffs too steep to climb, the only way out being the narrow path the rabbits had used. The path itself was too narrow for Scree to use. The other side was the creek, too deep for a land bird to swim through. On the opposite bank… "What if we used that?"

Hazel looked where Sam was pointing. On the far side was a tall, dead tree. "You mean the tree? What are we supposed to do with that?"

"Knock it down? We can use it as a bridge for Scree to walk across."

Hazel's mouth dropped. "You want up to take down a **tree**? How in Frith's name to you expect us to do that?"

Sam smirked, his hands glowing red and green again. "I bet I can figure **something** out."

* * *

Scree, Kehaar, and the rabbits stood at the foot of the down.

"I still can't believe that worked," Hazel said with a shake of his head.

Sam walked beside him with a giant grin on his face. "There is no problem that explosives cannot solve, Hazel."

"You're just lucky it fell the right way," Bigwig said. When the tree had begun to fall, it was aimed too far down stream and would not have been able to be used as a bridge. But with a few quick energy blasts to the side of the trunk, the tree veered onto the beach.

"I admit it got a little rough for a second, but here we are, safe and sound on the down." Sam turned to Scree. "You ready to meet your new friends?"

The hawk nodded nervously and the group made their way up the hill. The reactions were varied. Clover, who was the first to see them, screamed and bolted for the warren. This alerted Strawberry, Campion, Holly, Dandelion, and Hawkbit, who ran to see what the commotion was. They froze upon seeing Scree following Hazel, Bigwig and the others.

"Hazel-rah!" Strawberry yelled, "Look out behind you!"

"Bigwig," Hazel said to the captain, "we'll let you handle them. Sam and I can take care of the others."

Bigwig nodded. He turned to the five warriors, who had all dropped into fighting positions. "Owsla! At ease! Meet our newest ally."

Hawkbit and Dandelion exchanged a startled look. "You're kidding," Dandelion said.

Hazel, Sam, and the junior owsla continued on with Scree and left Bigwig to talk to the owsla. The next group they met consisted of Blackberry, Glade, Fiver, Silverweed, and a very frightened looking Primrose.

Glade shook her head with a grin. "Sam, you **know** there's a hawk behind you, right?"

Sam chuckled. "Yes, I'm aware. This is Scree. He's joining the warren."

"What?"

Everyone turned to look at Primrose. She shook her head furiously. "Hazel, you can't be serious. Blackavar, Gillia, Snowdrop, come away from there. You too Pipkin. It's dangerous!" The three younger rabbits hung their heads and walked slowly over to her.

Pipkin did not move. Sam gave him a questioning glance. "She's not **my** marli," the younger buck muttered.

Primrose sighed in frustration. "What were you thinking, Hazel? Bringing elil back to the warren!"

"Hazel, why don't you go talk to Primrose in private," Sam suggested. "I can take care of the rest of the introductions."

Hazel nodded with a look of long suffering. He and a steaming Primrose walked off alone to the edge of the hill with Snowdrop, Blackavar, and Gillia. That left Sam, Scree, and Kehaar alone with the others.

"What do the rest of you think?" Sam asked.

Fiver and Silverweed confidently stepped forward. Fiver froze as he got closer, and his eyes widened.

"You keep vigilant watch,  
never thinking to check within.  
For you will find the greatest darkness  
buried beneath the skin."

Sam's eyes widened and he glanced wearily at Scree. Even Kehaar seemed nervous. "What was that all about, Fiver?" Sam asked.

Fiver shook his head to clear his senses. "I don't know. Whatever it was, I don't think it's about Scree. I sense…no ill intentions. Only a desire to be accepted. And a deep sadness."

Silverweed closed his eyes and added, "No malicious thoughts." His face scrunched in concentration. "Well, not towards us. He has some very strong opinions on Alice, however." Silverweed opened his eyes and he smiled at the hawk. "I see no reason why we can't be friends."

"Welcome to the warren, Scree," Fiver added, his vision momentarily forgotten.

Kehaar had been translating for Scree while the rabbits spoke. The hawk gave as good of a smile as he could with a beak. "Thank you," he replied.

"Blackberry?" Sam asked.

She sighed. "That's good enough for me. I'm happy to meet you, Scree."

"You've done weirder things," Glade said with a roll of her eyes. "If you trust Scree, **I **trust him."

Sam smiled in gratitude. "Thanks, Glade. Hey, we should find Clover and let her know what's going on." A concerned look crossed his face. "And don't let me forget to talk to Hazel about Fiver's vision. Whatever it was, it doesn't sound good."

* * *

Sam and Glade lay on the grass together watching two shapes dart about in the air. One was large, white, and confident in his wing beats. The other was small, and shaky with inexperience.

"He's gotten quite good in such a short amount of time," Glade said, gesturing to Scree.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, he's a quick study. His wing healed well without that rock in it. And Kehaar is a surprisingly good teacher. His lapine is improving, too." The teen sighed. "I just wish Primrose would try and make peace with him."

The pair looked over to where Primrose sat with Hazel under the beech tree, one eye wearily on the sky. "At least she's letting the junior owsla go on patrol again," Glade responded. For the last week, Primrose had refused to allow the junior owsla off the down. She claimed 'that was just what the hawk wanted.' Hazel, Bigwig, and Pipkin were all able to convince her, however. "I'm sure they're glad to be back at it," Glade continued. "I know how frustrating it can be sitting on the down, not being able to do anything."

Sam, however, had stopped listening. Scree had stopped flying about and was just hovering in place, staring off in the direction where Pipkin and the junior owsla had gone for patrol. Sam rose to his feet slowly as Scree suddenly took off towards the woods, leaving Kehaar behind.

Glade rose next to him. "Sam, what's going on?"

"I don't know, but I think we better check it out. Come on, Glade!"

"Where is he going?"

They were stopped by Primrose's panic-ridden shouting. Sam sighed in annoyance. "Don't worry about it, Primrose," he yelled back. "We're handling it." He whispered to Glade, "Let's go, before she starts yelling at **me** next." Glade gave a small smile and the two ran after Scree.

They lost sight of him before they were half way down the hill, so they continued running in the same direction he had been flying. The two ran into the woods a ways before they stopped.

"Where'd he go?" Glade asked, darting her head around trying to catch his scent on the air.

"I don't know," Sam replied in frustration. "What was he even **doing**?" _Primrose __**can't**__ be right! He did fly off awfully quickly though…_ Sam shook his head to clear the errant thoughts. "We need to find them!"

"Sam! Glade!"

The pair looked up to find Kehaar circling overhead. "Follow me! Scree fly this way!" He turned and flew in the opposite direction from the down, Sam and Glade following on the ground. They ran until they came upon a clearing. As they closed in, they began to hear a voice.

"…one like you a few weeks ago. Any relation?"

Sam and Glade's eyes widened when they heard the voice. Sam signaled for Glade to slow down and they crept to the edge of the foliage. They looked out cautiously and saw Alice with her back to them. Standing across the clearing was Scree, standing in front of the junior owsla with his wings flared. Alice continued to speak, completely unaware of their presence.

"Do yourself a favor, birdie, just fly away. This doesn't concern you. I can't get through that barrier on my own, so I'm going to see if these kids can. It's going to just be a little cut, they won't even feel it."

Scree shook his head. "You kill mother! Scree no let you hurt friends!"

The girl lifted her sword menacingly. "Fine! If you won't move, I have no problem going through you. Master just finished my new sword yesterday, and I've just been dying to try it out!"

Sam stood up as she began to walk forward and launched an energy ball at her back. Just before it connected, Alice whipped around and batted it aside with her sword.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, Sammy-boy," Alice said. "The last time we saw each other, I'll admit I got a little…angry at your cheating with that barrier. But I've calmed down since then. Master can compensate for anything, don't you doubt it." She chuckled lightly. "But I supposed you're here for a fight? Very well, just let me take care of this riff-raff first."

"No!" Sam shouted. Alice gave a cold smile, and faced Scree and the junior owsla. Without a word, she swept her hand through the air in a low arc in their direction. A rolling wave of earth, darkened with her evil powers, flew at the group. Sam watched as it flung them into the air. Small jolts of black lighting arced from them to the ground. They landed in a puff of dust. Sam froze as he watched his friends get attacked.

"You bitch!" With a yell of rage, Sam fired a two handed Frith Beam directly at Alice. The girl barely moved out of the way in time, sending the beam screaming through the woods. Sam took advantage of the distraction. "Glade!" he yelled behind him, "go see if they're alright! I'll deal with Alice." She looked about to argue, but then nodded her head.

Satisfied, Sam turned back to Alice, only to find her hurtling at him. Sam grunted as she drove the hilt of her sword into his stomach and punched him in the chest, sending him flying backwards. He collided with a tree and slid to the ground, ears ringing.

"You're improving," Alice said, "but not enough to keep up with me." Her smirk faded into confusion when Sam began to laugh. "What's the joke?" she asked. Sam raised an arm and pointed downward. Alice's eyes widened when she looked down and saw three glowing red balls on the ground at her feet.

*Snap*

Sam watched in grim satisfaction as the three spheres ignited, bathing Alice in fire. Sam struggled to his feet, and heard a rustling behind him.

"Sam," Glade said, emerging from the foliage, "are you alright?"

"Never better," he responded sarcastically. "How about the others?"

She frowned. "They aren't **good**, but they'll be alright. They should be on their way back to the down. Do you need any help?"

Sam shook his head. "No, just go and keep them safe. I can handle Alice." Glade nodded and disappeared back into the undergrowth. Alice, on one knee reclaimed his attention. Tendrils of smoke rose from her body, but she looked otherwise unharmed.

"That…was a pretty good move, Sammy-boy," she said breathlessly. "I honestly wasn't expecting that." She drove the tip of her sword into the ground and used the weapon to boost herself to her feet. "But that still doesn't mean you've won." She pulled her sword out of the ground and brought it back to her side. "I **still** have more power than you."

Sam's eyes shifted quickly to the sky, then back to Alice. "Maybe, maybe not. But I do have **one** advantage."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Enlighten me."

The teen smiled. "A vengeful hawk as my new friend." At that moment, Scree swooped down from the sky and grabbed Alice by the shoulders. With a beat of his wings, he flung the girl face first into a tree. Sam watched her hit the ground, trickles of blood running down her shoulders where Scree's talons had pierced the flesh.

Scree landed shakily next to Sam. He was breathing heavily. "Friend, Sam, alright?"

Sam smiled and shook his head. "You shouldn't have come back. It's dangerous, and you're hurt."

"Scree not let friends be hurt."

The teen faced Alice. "I'm going to make sure you don't hurt any of my friends ever again." His hands began to glow yellow. Alice looked at him with a flash of fear. She flung her hand in their direction and a wave of darkness raced to meet them. For a moment, Sam was blinded. A distressed cry from Scree told him that Alice had taken his vision as well. He blindly launched a Frith Beam, tearing through the darkness.

But Alice was gone.

Sam cast his eyes around furiously, trying to find where she was hiding, but there was no sign of her. He sighed and turned back to Scree. The hawk was breathing heavily and his wings sagged in exhaustion, but he seemed alright. "Come on, Scree," Sam said, "let's get back to the down." The pair began the slow walk back to the down. "Hey Scree," Sam said as they walked, "thanks for coming to help me back there."

"You my friend," Scree responded. "Scree help friends. And…want fight human. She deserve to die."

Sam slowed to a stop. He looked at his friend with a sad face. "Scree…I can understand why you think that. But you need to understand: she isn't doing this of her own free will. The Black Rabbit is controlling her; **he's** the one at fault. I want to save her, not kill her."

Scree was silent for a moment before responding. "Still done, Sam. Still hurt. Want revenge." Sam saw the hawk's eyes being to water. "Mother deserve it."

Sam was at a loss for words. "I…alright. I guess…I can't argue with you. The bottom line is that she's our enemy, and she's trying to kill us. If…if we have to kill her, then I guess it can't be avoided. But I want your word that if I'm able to free her from the Black Rabbit, you'll leave her alone. Promise me, Scree."

"Scree…promise," he said reluctantly. "Sam worth trusting."

"Thank you," Sam said in relief. "If it helps, try and think of how scared she must be. I don't even know how Alice got here. For all I know, she could have been yanked from her bed like I was. But if she woke up to the Black Rabbit immediately taking over her mind..." Sam paused, letting the implications of his words sink in. "And think about what he's made her do. If she's lucky, she won't remember any of it once she's free. But if she does, she'll have to live with it for the rest of her life."

"Scree…will think about it," Scree responded.

"Sam!"

Sam and Scree were surprised when Glade burst out of some nearby bushes, nearly crashing into them. "Scree flew back here! I got the junior owsla back to the down and came right back. Are you-"

"We're fine, Glade," Sam reassured her. "We're both fine. Scree came back and helped me fight Alice."

Glade sighed in relief before she really looked at the pair. "By Frith! You two look terrible! Come on, let's get you back to the down."

* * *

The three crested the hill. Sam saw Blackavar, Snowdrop, and Gillia lying next to Primrose and Hazel under the tree, while Pipkin was talking with Bigwig and Campion. Everyone ran to meet them as soon as the group caught their attention.

Pipkin was the first to speak, and he did so in a strangely subdued tone. "Are you alright, Sam? You aren't hurt too badly, are you?"

The teen shook his head and knelt down. "I should be asking **you** that." Sam grimaced as he saw a large black spot on Pipkin's side where he had been singed from Alice's attack. "Are you and the others okay? She didn't cut you with her sword, did she?"

"No, she didn't," Pipkin replied. "I made sure of it."

Sam sighed in relief. "Good. Well I'm sorry to say, Pipkin, but I think you guys are done patrolling for a while."

"I know." Everyone's eyes widened as Pipkin immediately agreed. "With Alice out there…it's just too dangerous. I won't put the others at risk. We'll stay on the down, or wherever you tell us to."

"But Pipkin…" Snowdrop immediately protested.

"No!" The young doe's eyes widened at his harsh response. "We're done playing around! Alice is too much for us to deal with, and we will **not** go on another scouting mission until this is all over. Understood?" Snowdrop nodded weakly. Pipkin sighed. "Good." Without another word, he hopped away from the assembled rabbits.

The others looked at each other worriedly, and dispersed as well. "Bigwig, Campion," Sam called to the two warriors before they could go too far, "is something wrong with Pipkin?"

Bigwig sighed and cast a sad look at the younger buck, who was sitting alone at the edge of the down. "He learned something today. The hardest lesson a patrol leader will ever learn: how it feels when rabbits are injured under your watch."

Campion continued. "There's always a feeling of…**uselessness** that accompanies it. You think to yourself, 'What if I had been faster, or stronger, or done something differently? Would it still have gone so badly?' Even in a situation like Pipkin's where there was no way he could have fought against Alice, he still feels guilty that his friends got hurt."

"Far too young to have to go through something like that," Bigwig said, shaking his head.

"I had no idea," Sam replied. "I was always lucky that any patrols I lead never had any complications." _Although there isn't much I couldn't have dealt with __**anyway**_, Sam added silently. He looked to the side and saw Snowdrop staring after Pipkin sadly. Sam hopped over to her. "Why don't you go talk to him? I think he could really use a friend right now."

"I don't know what I would say," Snowdrop admitted. "He seemed so angry."

"He was just concerned for you. For all of you. He feels guilty for what happened."

"But it wasn't his fault! There was nothing any of us could have done!"

Sam smiled. "I know that already. Tell **him**."

Snowdrop nodded and she nuzzled him under his chin. "Thanks, Uncle Sam!"

Sam watched her go before he felt someone lay down next to him. He turned and saw Glade. She looked at him in worry. "Are you really alright? You seem distracted, Sam."

He sighed and shook his head. "I'm worried. Alice did some things out there I haven't seen her do before. Does that mean she's getting more powerful? Or **does** she have more power than she's letting on? Either way, it doesn't bode well for our next fight."

Glade considered for a moment before she answered. "Maybe she is getting more powerful, but so are you. I mean, for the first time, **you** made **her** run away. You beat her this time, Sam."

"I don't know what would have happened if Scree hadn't come back." Sam looked for his new friend and smiled as he saw the hawk speaking with Primrose. She was smiling and talking pleasantly. Sam chuckled. _Quickest way to a doe's heart: save her kids._ He sobered quickly. "If she's coming up with new tactics, I have to figure out how to counter them, and quick. Hopefully I can keep up."

"I know you can, Sam" Glade said as she nuzzled the side of his face. "We're all depending on you. We know you won't let us down."

Sam looked around the down at his friends smiling, laughing, and relaxing. _I hope I don't. Dear Frith, I hope I don't._

__A/N: Two and a half months without an update. That...that is just inexcusable. It will not happen again, I swear. Thanks for reading, whoever is still following this story after such a large gaps between chapters.


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Sam was worried. It had been a week since the last fight with Alice, and Fiver's vision from two weeks ago plagued him. _That one part, _he thought. _"The greatest darkness; buried beneath the skin." That can't be good._ The teen sighed, _Not that any of his visions are __**ever**__ good._

"Sam!"

Sam smiled, his worries temporarily forgotten. "Hello, Glade," he greeted the doe as she walked over to him.

She sat down and looked at him sympathetically. "Still thinking about Fiver's vision?"

"Well, **someone** has to. It seems like everyone else is content to just sit back and let whatever is going to happen, happen."

She sighed as she sat beside him. "That's because the **rest** of us know it isn't worth the effort. Hazel and Fiver already said that ever since Fiver was a kitten, no one was ever able to discover the meaning of one of his visions before it happened. So stop worrying, Sam," she said with a nudge. "Focus on the here and now."

"But there's nothing **happening** in the here and now! Not that I'm complaining," he added hastily. "I'd rather be bored than be attacked, any day. But that doesn't mean I want to waste this downtime."

"You could spar with the junior owsla," Glade suggested. "You know they love fighting you."

Sam chuckled. "That's because I'm technically the only opponent they've ever beaten." The junior owsla may have agreed to stay safely on the down, but that did not mean they sat around doing nothing. Even though they were not yet fully healed from their fight with Alice, they insisted on training. Pipkin asked Bigwig to include them in the sentry rotation, two of them for one member of the owsla. Primrose was not entirely happy with the situation, but she was willing to accept it if it kept them safe on the down.

"Even so, Sam, you should do **something** to get your mind off that vision," Glade said. "Anything's better than sitting here moping."

"Sam!" Sam and Glade turned to see Silverweed walking towards them. "Leafless is here to see you about something. He seems worried."

Sam got up. "I think I just found my distraction." The pair followed Silverweed to the other side of the tree where Leafless was pacing nervously. He perked up when he saw the teen.

"Oh Sam, thank Frith! You need to come with me immediately. There are humans near Redstone. The big, normal ones. They were walking around for hrair days, and just three days ago they put this big…**thing** up! Hickory and Marigold don't know what to do. We need your help."

"Of course I'll help you," Sam said, reassuringly. "I'll come right now. Glade? Will you let Hazel know what's going on?"

She gave Sam a worried look. "You're going alone?"

"They're just normal humans. I can deal with those better than anyone. If it turns out to be something more, I'll be sure to come and get some backup."

Glade nodded in understanding. "Just…be careful, Sam. We haven't seen Alice in a while, so she's bound to show herself soon enough."

The teen turned back to Leafless. "Alright, I'm ready to go."

The pair turned to go when they heard Silverweed call after them.

"I'm coming too! They're my friends, and I'd like to be sure they'll be alright. And besides, I can feel if Alice is coming."

Sam nodded and the three started towards Redstone. When they got to the bottom of the hill and passed through the barrier, Silverweed slowed. Sam looked back and saw the mystic waver for a moment and hold a paw to his head.

Sam held a paw up to steady his friend. "Are you alright, Silverweed?" he asked in concern.

Silverweed waved him away. "Yes, it's no problem. This isn't the first time it has happened. Fiver says it happens to him whenever he walks through it too. It's just a headache. It goes away quickly."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Sam asked. "If this barrier is dangerous to **us** too…"

Silverweed shook his head. "I don't think so. Fiver and I think it has something to do with our mystic powers, since none of the others have said anything about it. Don't worry, it's not so bad."

Sam flashed him a concerned look, but nodded slowly. "Alright. Just…let us know if you need to take a break, alright?" The mystic nodded and they continued to Redstone.

* * *

The trip to Redstone was blessedly uneventful. With Silverweed along and able to sense any elil, they three were able to travel quickly and in the open. When they got closer, an owsla sentry approached them.

"Hello, Leafless, Sam," he said. "And Silverweed! We haven't seen you around here in quite some time, lad. How have you been?"

"I've been well, Hedgerun," Silverweed replied. "Thank you. I'm sorry I haven't visited lately; Watership Down has been…busy. I'll try to come around more often. I came with Sam to make sure everything's alright. Would you take us to Hickory and Marigold?"

"We're on our way now," Leafless said. "Stay on guard, Hedgerun." The soldier nodded and the three continued on their way. Leafless spoke as they walked. "The chiefs have spent the majority of the last hrair days keeping everyone calm. So far, only the fact that they knew you would come has kept everyone together."

"Wonderful," Sam said with a roll of his eyes. "And what if I can't **do** anything? There is always that possibility."

"In times like these, you must find hope where you can," Leafless said. "Come on. The chiefs should be at the warren. They can tell you the rest."

As Sam neared the warrens, any of the rabbits that saw him stopped and stared. All of them looked relieved. They murmured excitedly to one another and gestured to Sam. Some of them nodded to the teen in greeting, which Sam returned with a shaky smile.

"You're very popular, Sam," Silverweed said with a worried look on his face. "They're so scared. I've been…peeking, since we got here. There is pervasive fear here, hidden under the surface."

Sam nodded in determination. "Then let's find Hickory and Marigold and get this mess taken care of."

"Sam!"

Leafless smiled. "Found them."

Hickory and Marigold ran up to them. "Thank Frith you came!" Marigold said with relief in her voice. "It's been rather bad around here."

"Of course I came," Sam reassured them. "You're my friends. And humans **are** my specialty. Now where is this…thing, Leafless said they brought?"

"Follow us," Hickory said.

Sam and Silverweed followed the pair as they walked away from the warren and toward the nearby road. Hickory and Marigold stopped at the edge of the undergrowth. They were so close to the road that Sam was able to hear cars driving past. "It's through here," Marigold said. "Be careful, Sam. It could be dangerous."

Sam nodded and stuck his head cautiously into the open. He saw a large sign placed near the road, and nothing else. He rolled his eyes. "Is **that** what you were talking about?" They nodded. Sam chuckled. "It's just a sign, you guys. It's totally harmless." Sam hopped completely into the open, followed slowly by the other three. The teen lightly kicked one of the metal poles holding up the sign. "See? Nothing. Humans use it to communicate with each other, that's all." Sam hopped around to the side of the sign facing the road. "It just says that there's a new housing deve…" Sam drifted off as he read the sign.

"Sam?" Silverweed approached him and poked him in the shoulder. "Is something wrong? Are you alright?"

Sam did not respond. The teen's eyes widened as he read the contents of the sign:

_Coming in 2014! New riverside property!_

_Reserve a stake in new, scenic property just 2.5 miles out of Kingsclere!_

_If interested, call (555)-638-5168_

_Property of Sutch and Martin Ltd._

Sam saw a map of the area, partially shaded in red. The color was listed as, "Area Designated for Complete Renovation."

Roughly in the middle of the red blob was Redstone warren.

Sam's heart sank as he shook his head in disbelief. "Why here?" he muttered to himself. "Why them? Why **now**?"

Marigold shook him urgently. "What's wrong, Sam? What does it say?"

The teen hung his head. "I'm sorry, but you can't stay at Redstone anymore."

Hickory and Marigold exchanged a confused look. "What do you mean, Sam? What are you talking about?"

Sam could not bring himself to look them in the eye. "You can't stay at Redstone because it's going to be destroyed. Humans are going to come, and destroy the warren."

Seeing Hickory and Marigold were speechless, Silverweed tried to make sense of the situation. "Sam…what are you talking about? Why would humans destroy Redstone? We haven't done anything."

"I know," Sam replied, "and I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. The humans want to build new homes here, and to do that, they need to get rid of everything that is already here. And that includes Redstone. I'm so sorry."

Marigold sunk to the ground. She muttered to herself sadly. "Why Redstone? We had a home here, why do we have to give it up so soon?" She quivered as sobs racked her body. "Where are we going to go? And how are we supposed to tell the others? I don't know what to do."

Hickory nuzzled his mate and did his best to comfort her. "We'll move on. That's all we **can** do. We've built a new home once, we can do it again."

"We'll help you," Sam said with determination. "My friends and I will do everything we can to find you a new home. It's the least I can do." Hickory and Marigold flashed him relived smiles. "But for now, we have to go back to Redstone and break the news to everyone else. Construction companies aren't that fast, so you should still have some time before they destroy the warren, but the sooner you're out of there, the better. Silverweed, do you think you can make it back to the down safely on your own?"

"Nothing can get close to me without me knowing," the mystic replied. "It would be no problem."

"Good. I need you to go back and get Hazel, Bigwig, and Holly. Maybe Strawberry too; bring anyone you think would help. Tell them to meet us back at Redstone."

Silverweed nodded. "Alright, Sam. But what are you going to do?"

The teen sighed. "I'll go back to the warren and explain the situation to the other rabbits there. They deserve to know what's going on."

"I'll bring them as quickly as I can." With that, Silverweed dashed into the woods, leaving the other three behind.

"Come on," Sam said gently to the still grieving pair, "let's get back to the warren. We should get this over with." They nodded and three began the walk back.

* * *

"…And that's the full story." Sam looked around at the faces of the Redstone rabbits. Some were scared, others angry, but all of them shared a deep sadness at the impending loss of their home. "Hazel and a few others from our warren are on their way. With all of us working together, we should be able to find a good place for you to live quickly."

"Why is this happening to us?" a brown rabbit asked. "What gives these humans the right to force us out of our home after all we've done to get here?"

Sam frowned. "They **don't** have the right, but they're still going to do it. I'm sorry, but there's nothing you can do."

"Can't **you** do anything? You're a human, maybe you could talk to them."

The teen shook his head. "It wouldn't work. If I revealed myself to a normal sized human, I'm pretty sure one of them, would capture me and ship me off to a lab somewhere. Even if they **didn't** take me away, there's no way they would stop the construction project just because the warren is here. I'm sorry, but they just don't care." The rabbit did not look convinced but then nodded and rejoined the rest of the Redstoners. Sam addressed the group again. "Now I don't know the first thing about starting a new warren, so I sent Silverweed to get help from Watership Down. When they get here-"

"We **are** here, Sam."

The assembled rabbits turned and saw the group from Watership Down approaching. Hazel lead the way, followed closely by Silverweed. Sam's eyes widened when he saw the majority of the warren following them.

Sam shook his head to clear the surprise. "Hazel, what's everyone doing here? I only told Silverweed to bring you and a few others."

"When he told us what was going on, everyone wanted to help. We couldn't let our friends down."

Sam smiled proudly at his friends' generosity. "That…that's awesome you guys! With everyone here, we should be able to find them a new place in no time."

Hazel nodded and turned to Holly and Blackberry. "You two go and speak to Leafless. See who in Redstone can help look. And make sure everyone from both warrens knows what to look for in a new warren. Water nearby, plenty of food, far from elil, that kind of thing."

"We'll get on it, Hazel-rah," Holly replied. The pair went in search of Leafless, with the rest of the Watership Down rabbits in tow, leaving Sam alone with Hazel, Strawberry, Marigold, and Hickory.

"How are the two of you holding up?" Strawberry asked his friends. "This can't be easy on you."

Marigold moved closer to Hickory and rested her head on his shoulder. "We're doing what we can," she replied. "We're trying to stay calm for everyone else. If they saw us get too worried, there's no way they could carry on." She sighed sadly. "I feel the worst for our kits. The rest of us can get used to a new home. It wouldn't be the first time. But them? This is the only place they've known."

"I'm sorry, Marigold," Sam said with a frown. "We'll find you somewhere safe. I promise. Somewhere better than Redstone. I know this place is home, but it isn't perfect." Sam looked through the group of assembled rabbits. "Where are your kids anyway? I haven't seen them since they were newborns."

"They're in the warren with Sorrel," Hickory replied. "She takes care of our kits when we're busy with chief duties. She has been a very big help."

"Oh good. That means Sam won't have to watch over them," Hazel said with a ghost of a smile.

"Yeah, that…what?" Sam exclaimed in surprise. "What are you talking about, Hazel? I'm not going with one of the groups?"

"No, I was going to ask you to stay here. You already said you don't know anything about finding a new warren, and we should have you in a central location in case Alice shows up."

Sam shook his head. "And what makes you think that me sitting here waiting for her to come is better than being out there keeping her away?"

"Because, Sam," Hazel replied, "what if she attacks a group and you aren't there? What would you have them do? Run about, hoping to find you while being chased by Alice? Or perhaps you'd rather they come back here to all the defenseless rabbits that **aren't** going out? We need you in a centralized location that everyone will be able to find quickly. Hickory, Marigold, and I are depending on you alone to defend those that are staying behind."

"But I-" Sam's protests died when faced with the pleading looks on the three chiefs' faces. He sighed. "Fine. But make sure that everyone receives instructions to come straight back here if anything happens. I can't very well help if I don't know what's happening."

Hazel nodded. "Of course, Sam. Everyone will know what's going on. And…thank you for being so understanding. I know how much stopping Alice means to you."

Sam gave a small smile. "I want to save her, but my friends are more important. Just go out there and take a look. Hopefully someone will find something soon. Until then I'll just…be here. I guess."

Hazel flashed Sam a sympathetic smile before he, Marigold, and Hickory joined the others to assist with the planning. Sam sighed and lay down near the entrance to the warren. He watched as the group of volunteers finished their planning session and dispersed. There were more than ten groups, made up of members of both warrens. Sam was watching Hazel's group depart when he felt someone lay down next to him. He looked over to see Glade's smiling face.

"You looked like you could use some company," Glade explained.

Sam was confused. "You aren't going with the others?"

"One more rabbit won't make the difference, so I decided to stay here. Clover is doing the same. She's staying to make sure that any of remaining Redstone rabbits, the ones that aren't going on the search, are handling the news alright. Not all of them were able to bring themselves to go looking for a new home."

"Many of the rabbits that stayed behind had homes before joining Cowslip." Sam and Glade jumped as an older female rabbit appeared behind them from within the warren. She looked to be almost Holly's age, with a dark black pelt, ending in white patches along her face and head. She gave them a kind smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. My name is Sorrel. And, if I remember correctly, you two are Sam and Glade?"

"Yeah," Sam replied, "that's us. Sorry, I don't think I remember you."

Sorrel chuckled. "I don't blame you. You were busy every time you've helped us in the past, and I'm not the most memorable of rabbits. By the way, I never had the chance to properly thank you for all you've done for-"

"Rose is a homba! Everybody run!"

"No fair! Come back!"

Sorrel was interrupted by shouting from within the warren, followed by four small shapes darting out between their feet. A group of young does ran around in the area in front of the warren before shooting off into different directions.

Sorrel sighed. "Those four can be such a paw-full sometimes. Glade? Could you run over and make sure they stay close to the warren? My old bones are rather sore today."

"Sure, no problem," Glade said as she moved to follow the closest doe. "They can't be worse than the junior owsla."

Sam waited until she was out of earshot before turning to Sorrel. "Old bones? You don't strike me as the type. Whatever you have to say to me, you could have said in front of Glade. I trust her."

Sorrel shot him a knowing look. "You might trust her, but I wouldn't think you'd want her around to discuss her fascination with you. Or yours with her." Sam's face was emotionless, and he refused to meet Sorrel's gaze. "It's obvious that she cares for you, if you know what to look for. And you know I don't mean just as friends."

Sam sighed. "I know. It…**is** pretty obvious."

"Have you thought about what you're going to do?" Sorrel asked with concern. "I don't know if you're admitting it to yourself, but it's clear to me that you feel much the same way. The way you act around her, the way you watch her when you think she isn't looking," Sorrel paused to follow Sam's errant gaze, "like you are right now."

Sam blushed and wretched his gaze back to Sorrel. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. "And to answer your question: yes, I **have** thought about it. I just don't think it would be a good idea." A sad look crossed Sam's face. "I don't want to hurt her."

Sorrel stared deeply into Sam's eyes before responding. "I don't think you would ever hurt her. In fact, I believe you would throw yourself in harm's way in an instant, just to keep her out of danger."

Sam sighed again. "That's not really the type of hurting I mean. What do you think is going to happen to me once I beat the Black Rabbit? That's assuming I **can** beat him. Frith, or Prince Rainbow, or whoever is probably going to send me back home. And **then** what do I do? I'd rather Glade just lose her friend than someone closer."

Sorrel looked to see that Glade had rounded up the four younger does and gotten them to play only in the area close to the warren. Finished with her job, she was making her way back to them.

Glade flopped to the ground, breathing heavily. "They might not be able to match the junior owsla, but those does can **run**."

"Thank you very much, Glade," Sorrel said with a smile. "I can take it from here. You two relax until the others get back." With that, Sorrel went over to the young does to keep watch.

"You alright?" Sam asked with concern.

Glade smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired. I haven't been sleeping well lately."

"Well, why don't you take a nap until others get back? I'll be fine by myself for a while."

"Alright," Glade said. She moved next to him and rested her head on Sam's shoulder. "Thanks, Sam."

Sam sat, smiling sadly, as she fell asleep.

* * *

The groups of searchers returned one group at a time, all with bad news. There was no place that would work for a new warren. Any of the spots close enough to a source of water either had too many elil nearby or were too close to man. A pervasive feeling of sorrow filled the warren.

Until Fiver's group returned.

Fiver's group consisted of himself, Leafless, and Blackberry and was one of the last to arrive. Fiver and Blackberry held excited smiles on their faces, while Leafless looked deep in thought.

"Good news, Fiver?" Sam asked as he approached his friend. "So far, no one has found anything."

Fiver seemed nervous to share the results of his search with Sam. "Well…I might have something."

"Sounds great!" Sam said excitedly. "Let's go tell Hickory and Marigold."

Fiver stopped the teen just as he was about to turn away. "Wait, Sam! There's nothing wrong with the location, but it would take a lot of convincing to get them to move there. It's really close to the apple orchard."

Sam shrugged. "So? I don't see what the prob-" He broke off as it dawned on him. "You mean Bark's apple orchard?" Fiver nodded. "Ah, I'm beginning to see your point."

"There might be a chance," Fiver replied. "We took Leafless with us when we looked around the area. I decided to ask Bark if she had any ideas, while Blackberry stayed back with Leafless. Unfortunately, he insisted on following me. Needless to say, things got a little heated when Bark and Leafless first met. After Blackberry and I calmed him down and introduced them, Bark showed us a great place for a warren. It's close to water, with the orchard there, there will be plenty of flayrah in the fall, and Bark says there wouldn't be any threat of elil, because most of them are too scared of **her** to come anywhere near there."

"It is a good location, from what I could tell," Leafless admitted. "And Bark is…surprisingly kind." He sighed. "You Watership Down rabbits meet some interesting creatures."

Sam chuckled. "You don't know the half of it. Do you think this spot is worth trying to convince the others about? I'm sure there are other satisfactory locations out there."

Leafless shook his head. "Maybe so, but I think they'd be further away from you than we'd like to go, especially with that other human running around. It may take some doing, but I think we can convince everyone that it's for the best. Besides, you can vouch for Bark. Your opinions on matters such as these carry more weight than you think."

"Alright then!" Sam exclaimed. "Let's grab Hazel and go talk to Marigold and Hickory. I'm sure that, with a little convincing, they'll agree it's your best option."

* * *

"No!"

"Come on, Hickory," Sam pleaded, "at least give it a chance."

"Absolutely not!" Marigold replied. "How could you even **ask** us to live that close to a lendri?"

Sam paused before he answered. "Do you trust me?"

Hickory sighed. "Don't start with this, Sam. You **know** we trust y-"

"Then why **won't **you?" the teen pressed. "What will it take to get you to listen? What do we have to do?"

Marigold shook her head in frustration. "Fine. Hazel, are you as vehement about this as Sam is?"

Hazel exchanged a look with Sam and Fiver before he nodded. "The last group got back just a little while ago. None of them found anything. So far, it's your only option. So, what do we have to do to convince you?"

Marigold walked over to Hazel and put her face inches from his. "If you want us to risk our kits with a lendri, then you must risk **yours**."

Hazel's eyes widened in surprise. "So if we let Blackavar, Snowdrop, and Gillia near Bark, you'll believe us? You'll move to the orchard?"

"We will **try** and convince the others. I can't make any promises."

"Agreed!" Hazel said happily. "Who's in charge if you're gone? Leafless?" Marigold and Hickory nodded. "Good. Let him know what's going on, and let's go."

The Redstone chiefs traded a surprised glance. "Go?" Hickory asked. "Right now?"

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, why not? It's not like this will be the first time they've played with Bark. She's actually really good with kids." Sam turned to Hazel. "I'll go round up the rest of our group. There isn't much else we're going to be able to do today; might as well bring everyone back to the down."

Hazel agreed. Sam gathered the other rabbits from Watership Down and set off with Hickory and Marigold in tow. Despite the size of their group, no elil crossed their paths, making for a safe, quick trip back to the down. Primrose greeted them as they arrived.

"Hello, Hazel," she said as she nuzzled her mate. "Did you have any luck?" It was then that she noticed Hickory and Marigold following behind the rest. "Hello, Marigold. And you too, Hickory." She cast them a sympathetic look. "How are the two of you doing? I know how it is to lose a home. It seems Redstone is just…unlucky."

"I'm still going to miss it," Marigold responded, tears forming in her eyes.

Sam interrupted softly, yet firmly. "We'll find you a new home, a **better** home."

"Yes, well, we'll see," Hickory replied. "Hazel, are you prepared for your part of the deal?"

"Of course I am," the chief responded. "Pipkin!" Hazel called to the buck, who talking with Dandelion and Hawkbit. "Get the junior owsla ready, please. We're going on a trip."

"To where?" Primrose asked with concern.

"Just to the apple orchard," Sam replied. "Hickory and Marigold want proof that Bark won't eat kittens on the spot."

"That's understandable. I would be worried about the same thing." Primrose paused. "Just…please be careful, Hazel. I don't want to see my babies hurt again."

Sam responded, "I promise, Primrose, I won't let anything happen to them. If Alice shows up, Bark and I can handle her."

Primrose nodded. "Alright, Sam. Thank you." Just as she finished speaking, Pipkin and the rest of the junior owsla arrived.

"We're ready, Hazel," Pipkin said apprehensively.

"Don't worry, Pipkin," Hazel responded, "everything is going to be alright. Sam will be with us the whole time." Hazel turned to Hickory and Marigold. "Are the two of you ready to go?" They nodded. "Then let's be off."

Hazel, Sam, Fiver, Hickory, Marigold, and the junior owsla descended the hill and began their trip to the orchard. Sam frowned in sympathy when Fiver crossed the barrier and winced in pain.

"You alright?" Sam asked.

Fiver nodded. "It's fine, Sam. Thank you." They exchanged a wordless smile and followed the rest of the group.

As they approached the orchard, the group of rabbits began to smell the sweet scent of young apples. They emerged from their path through the undergrowth to see the apple orchard. It had not changed since last fall, except for the absence of ladders and apple-picking baskets.

"It's lovely here," Marigold said with a smile. "There will be flayrah to spare when those apples start falling."

"Not to mention the bodyguard you're going to have," Sam added with a smile. "Fiver, will you find Bark for us? I imagine she's in her burrow." Fiver nodded and walked off in the direction of Bark's burrow, leaving the rest of them to wait. Sam turned back to Hickory and Marigold. "So, are you two ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be," Hickory responded.

Gillia approached the pair with a smile. "You don't have to worry," she said. "Bark is our friend."

"Yeah," Snowdrop continued, "she always gives us apples every time we visit. She's really nice."

Sam moved to stand between the Redstone chiefs. "Here she comes. Just don't panic, keep an open mind, and you'll be fine. Oh, and she likes hugging. Just a warning." A look of panic crossed their faces before their attention was drawn to the far side of the orchard. Fiver was walking back with a smile on his face, followed closely by the large badger.

"You're serious?" Hickory said in awe. "You actually have a **lendri** for a friend? I didn't really believe…"

Sam chuckled. "So we shouldn't tell you about the hawk we had watching you all day?"

"What?"

"Well I needed **some** way to keep track of all the groups. Scree volunteered to do his part as well." Sam waved a dismissive paw. "We'll talk about that later. For now, meet your new neighbor."

"Bark!" With no further warning, the junior owsla charged at Bark. The badger crouched low to the ground and growled.

Hickory panicked and was about to charge himself, but Sam put a restricting paw on his shoulder. "Just watch," he said with a smile. Although he looked uncertain, Hickory stayed where he was. The junior owsla pounced on Bark as a group, causing the badger to flip onto her back. Between their wrestling, Sam could hear the rabbits laughing, accompanied by Bark's own, deeper laugh.

"Are they…**playing**?" Marigold asked incredulously.

Hazel nodded. "Before Alice started coming around, we would bring them down here often to visit Bark. They love playing with her, and she's wonderful with them." Hickory and Marigold still appeared unsure. Hazel cast them a knowing look. "I understand why you're so uneasy. Believe me, it wasn't easy for me to accept, either. But I swear, you can trust Bark."

"You're so certain…" Marigold said in confusion.

Fiver stepped forward. "She saved my life. I don't know where I would have been without her. Please, just talk to her. Give her a chance." Hickory and Marigold looked at each other for a long moment and nodded.

"Alright!" Sam yelled, walking towards Bark and the junior owsla. "Time to break it up! Bark needs to have a chat with her new neighbors."

The junior owsla got off of Bark and let her up. The badger let out a giant smile as she finally noticed Sam's presence. "Sunflower!" She grabbed Sam with her forepaws and held him tight. "Bark worried about you! Not see you in so long, thought got hurt by other human."

"Sorry Bark, I know it has been a while. I've been really busy trying to make sure everyone stays safe. I promise, if we win against the Black Rabbit, I'll come and visit you more often." Bark nodded and set Sam back on the ground. The teen looked over to Hickory and Marigold. "See what I said about the hugging? Hickory, Marigold, let me introduce you to Bark. Should you choose to move here, you'll be seeing a lot of each other."

"H-Hello," Hickory said nervously.

"You Hickory and Marigold? Friends of Fiver? I, Bark. Good to meet you. You going to live here?"

Hickory looked to Marigold. "I…think we may," she said. "Hello, Bark. Yes, I'm Marigold and this is my mate, Hickory. We're the chiefs of Redstone warren." She frowned. "For a little longer, anyway. We may choose to live here, if that's alright with you. Hazel, Sam, and the others have said many good things about you. And from what I've seen, we have nothing to worry about from you."

Bark smiled. "Of course rabbits can live in orchard! I show you best trees for apples in leaf-fall season, and paths safe from other meat-eaters."

Hickory recovered from his surprise quickly. "Thank you, Bark. That's very generous of you. But **now** we have to convince the others to come here as well."

"Leafless can help us," Marigold said. "The three of us working together should be able to convince some of the more…open-minded members of the owsla. Do you think they'll all agree with us?"

"It's this, or stay and die in Redstone," Hickory replied. "I imagine even old Sage will agree with us."

Marigold sighed, "I should hope so. He's such a grump some days. Come on, we have a lot of convincing to do. It was good to meet you, Bark. I hope we'll be seeing more of each other in the future."

"Good bye, new friends," Bark responded. "See you again soon!" The rabbits said their farewells and made their way back to Watership Down.

"So, how are you going to handle this?" Hazel asked as they walked back. "It's your warren and your rabbits, so it's your call. Just know that we're here to help you however we can."

Hickory nodded. "Thank you, Hazel. For everything. We may take you up on that offer. I was thinking we'll bring a few members of our warren over every day. If we can get enough digging done each day, hopefully we can convince them to stay at the new warren as we bring them over. If we could use Watership Down as a waypoint, that would be very helpful."

"Of course you can," Hazel replied. "I'm sure you'll have volunteers from our warren to help you with the digging. Just let us know when you need us."

"Then be ready, Hazel," Marigold said, "because we're about to be very busy."

* * *

Marigold had not exaggerated. Over the next week and a half, rabbits came and went daily between Redstone and the orchard. With the help of the rabbits from Watership Down, the new warren was dug out in a clearing far enough from the orchard to avoid notice from the farmers. Many of the rabbits from Redstone were nervous upon meeting with Bark for the first time. But they soon got over it upon seeing their chiefs get hugged by the large badger. Although the warren was functional during its construction, the rabbits chose to stay in Redstone for as long as possible. They were still sad about having to leave their first real home.

After almost two weeks of work, the warren was complete, and it was time for the final move. Sam, Hazel, Fiver, and Strawberry stood with Hickory and Marigold as they addressed their rabbits for the final time at Redstone.

Hickory looked upon the assembled rabbits with a mixture of pride and sadness. "We've come a long way since living under Cowslip. With the help of our friends from Watership Down, we were able to find freedom and peace here at Redstone. For a time, this was our home." He cast a wide smile to his kittens, who sat next to Marigold. "For some, this has been the only place they've known. But today, we find a **new** home! A home **we** built! We will make this our home, and it will be better than Redstone ever was!" Hickory smile as the Redstone rabbits began to cheer. "Now, let's go."

Hickory set off towards Watership Down, followed closely by Marigold, Hazel, Strawberry, Fiver, and Sam. The rest of the Redstone rabbits followed after them.

"Nervous?" Hazel asked Hickory.

The Redstone chief checked to be sure none of his rabbits could hear him before he answered. "Incredibly. Moving to Redstone was easy. The warren was ready, and rabbits had already been living there. We **knew** we would be alright there. All we can do in this new warren is hope."

Sam moved to stand by Hickory. "Don't worry, Hickory. You've always got us there. And don't be afraid to ask Bark for help. Neighbors should be able to count on each other. By the way, what did you decide to call the new warren?"

"Actually, we decided to call it, Applebark," Marigold responded. "We thought it was a fitting name, considering."

"Well **that's** stupid."

A collective gasp ran through the group of rabbits as a teenage girl appeared from the nearby bushes. She carried a wicked smile on her face and her sword was slung nonchalantly over her shoulder. Her eyes narrowed into a glare as she noticed Sam. "Oh Sammy-boy, I've been waiting to see you."

"Can't say I feel the same," Sam replied.

"Of course you don't. Maybe you forgot, but you tried to **blow me up** the last time we met! You ruined my hair!" Glancing at the girl's head, Sam saw her signature pigtails were gone. Instead, she wore her hair down. It looked like it had been haphazardly lopped short, probably with her sword. Alice swung her sword down. "I don't take lightly to people messing with my hair."

Sam turned to his human form and positioned himself between Alice and the group from Redstone. "Get them out of here, Hazel," he said. "Get them to the down, quick as you can." The chief nodded and started to run, the rabbits from Redstone following him.

"I'll stay with you, Sam," Strawberry said, positioning himself next to his friend. "We can fight her together."

"You should go with them, Strawberry. I need you to keep them safe."

Strawberry shook his head. "They have Leafless and the rest of their owsla. They don't need me. I'm staying, Sam. You aren't doing this alone."

Sam sighed. "Fine, Strawberry. Just…be very careful."

Alice smirked as her hand began to throw off dark sparks. "I don't think 'careful' covers it, bunny." The sparks grew until there were small arcs of dark lightning dancing across her hands. "I've learned a new trick since last time we saw each other. I think you'll love it." With no further warning, Alice threw her hand toward Strawberry and chuckled as a streak of black lightning raced towards the rabbit. Strawberry cried out in surprise and tried to move out of the way, but the bolt hit him in the side. He fell to the ground, convulsing slightly.

"Strawberry!" Sam fell to his knees next to the rabbit and examined where the bolt hit. There was a wicked burn mark, but no other visible damage. He was breathing shallowly. Sam stood back up and glared at Alice. "How dare y-" He froze when he saw Alice's hand pointed at him.

"That was the practice shot," she said. "I won't miss this time."

Sam's eyes widened as he saw the lightning come screeching toward him. He flung his hands up in panic and waited for the pain. But none came. After a moment, Sam opened his eyes to see a film of green coming from his hands and spreading out in front of his body like a shield. Sam's mouth opened in shock.

"**What**?" Alice yelled angrily. "**How. Is. This. Possible?**" Each work was punctuated with another blast of lighting that crashed harmlessly on Sam's shield. Alice threw her sword to the ground and crossed her arms petulantly. "That's not fair! I spent two weeks getting this right, and you pull **that** out of nowhere? That's cheating, Sam."

Sam lowered his hands slowly and watched the shield dissipate. "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't know I could do that either," Sam replied in awe, flexing his fingers slowly. He smiled. "Well, I guess I'm alright with this." He glanced back down at Strawberry. His friend was beginning to stir. "Take it easy, Strawberry. I'll handle it." He glared at the girl. "What now, Alice?"

She grabbed her sword and looked at Sam in irritation. "Now? I do things the old fashioned way. I was **so** excited to use my new lighting power, but no. You have to ruin everything."

"Pardon me if I don't start crying." Sam clenched his fists, hoping to hide the yellow glow forming on his palms. "What do you want with the Redstone rabbits, anyway? They've done nothing to you."

Alice stared at Sam before she started laughing. "What, those stupid rabbits? You think I came here for **them**? Oh no, Sammy-boy, I don't care about them. I wanted you. You think Master cares about some meaningless little rabbits? Yeah right!"

Sam's eyes narrowed. "Fine. If you want me, here I come!" He threw his hands up and launched two Frith Beams at Alice. The girl panicked for a moment, then calmed and stood still. The beams rushed to either side of her, leaving Alice uninjured. Sam groaned in frustration. "You were **supposed** to try and dodge."

"I never like doing what I'm supposed to," Alice replied. "Unless Master asks me, of course." She pointed her sword at Sam. "My turn, Sammy-boy."

With that, Alice rushed at Sam and made a broad swing at his face. Sam ducked, feeling the blade cut past his hair. Before he could react, Alice took another swing at him. Thinking quickly, Sam concentrated and formed a small, green shield on his forearm. Sam's arm shook with effort, but the shield held Alice's sword at bay. Sam gathered more energy into his other hand, causing it to glow green. With a yell, he drove his fist into Alice's face, knocking her backwards. He quickly charged and launched another Frith Beam, but Alice knocked it out of the way with her sword.

"You hit me!" Alice yelled. She rubbed a hand to her cheek and frowned as it came back red. "And you made me bleed!" She clenched her fist and glared at Sam. "**Now** I'm angry!"

Without warning, she launched at Sam. She made a low swipe at his legs, but pulled back when he bent to block. Instead, she drove the hilt of the sword into Sam's temple, sending him to the ground. Before he could react, Alice had him pinned. Her left hand held his right to the ground, and her leg stretched forward to pin his left wrist. Her other knee sat heavily on Sam's chest, restricting his breathing. With her remaining hand, Alice held her sword against Sam's throat.

"Looks like I win," she gloated. "Any last words?"

"Does this count?" Sam took a deep breath, gathering energy in the back of his throat. He was about to release a stream of fire when Alice suddenly punched him in the mouth. Sam lost his concentration and the fire dissipated, causing him to cough up smoke.

Alice waved the clouds away and repositioned her sword. "That won't work, Sammy-boy. That trick is old news. Now like I **said**: any last words?"

"No!"

Suddenly, the weight lifted from Sam's chest. Strawberry crashed into Alice's back, sending the pair of them to the ground. Before Sam could react, he heard a loud yell of pain. He got up to see Strawberry lying on the ground, a large gash in his side.

He was not moving.

Tears sprang to Sam's eyes. "Strawberry?" No answer. "Please Strawberry, you can't be-"

He was interrupted by Alice's laughing. "Nice try, big boy, but you're just too slow. You get an A for effort though. Well Sammy-boy, what do you think abou-"

"Shut up."

"**What** did you just-"

Sam shifted his gaze from Strawberry's fallen form to Alice. His eyes were shining with white light and his face was clenched in a vicious scowl. "I said, **shut up**!" He walked slowly towards Alice. "I've tried to defend you from the others. I've tried my best not to hurt you. To free you from the Black Rabbit's hold. But you don't care. I've been hurt for you. My **friends** have been hurt for you. And you don't **care**!" Alice recoiled as he yelled. "Well that's it. I'm done caring. If I free you, if I kill you, I don't care anymore. Anything to keep you from hurting my friends."

Sam immediately fired a huge Frith Beam directly at Alice. The girl barely managed to dodge when another came at her. Alice danced left and right, dodging Sam's attacks. Sam glowered in grim satisfaction as he fired relentlessly at the girl. Eventually, one of the shots hit its mark. Alice cried out in pain when one of the beams nicked her leg.

"Game over," Sam said as he fired one most Frith Beam. Alice held her sword up desperately. The beam connected with the sword, throwing the girl against a tree with a harsh crack. Her sword fell to the ground as a pile of dust. "It's interesting being on this side," Sam said as he approached. "Now how did this go? Ah, right. Any last words?"

Alice's eyes widened in terror. "Master! Help me!" She was immediately engulfed in a cloud of darkness.

"No!" Sam cried out in frustration. He fired a Frith Beam at the ground, but it was too late. She was gone. Sam lowered his arms in defeat. He suddenly dropped to his knees and held his head. When he opened his eyes again, they were normal. _Ugh, my head. What __**was**__ that? It felt like I…Strawberry!_ With a flash of remembrance, Sam rushed to his friend's side. Tears came to the teen's eyes again as he viewed the damage from Alice's attack. A deep gash ran from Strawberry's shoulder all the way down to his haunch. His side was slick with blood, and the wound was still bleeding. "Strawberry," Sam choked," "I'm so sorry. I should have made you stay with the others."

Strawberry let out a strained cough. "But then…**you** would have…" Another cough racked his body and kept him from speaking.

"Strawberry…"

"Please, Sam," Strawberry said weakly, "I don't want to be like them. Please don't let the Black Rabbit take me. Not the way he took Alice." Sam looked into Strawberry's eyes. They were beginning to mist over in black.

Sam wiped the tears from his eyes. "I won't, buddy. I promise." Sam held his hands up and let them glow a soft yellow. He set his hands gently across Strawberry's wound. Thin tendrils of smoke drifted up into the air. Sam concentrated and let the energy flow gently across Strawberry's body, enveloping it in a warm, yellow glow. Strawberry took a deep, shuddering breath, and then fell silent.

Tears ran down Sam's face. "I'm sorry, Strawberry. I'm so sorry." He closed his eyes and cried over the body of his friend.

*cough*

Sam's eyes snapped open as a series of coughs spread through Strawberry's body. The buck opened his eyes. "I'm…alive?" Strawberry asked. "What in Frith's name…?"

"You're alright!" Sam exclaimed in joy. He flung his arms around the buck's neck, and immediately retreated when he winced in pain. Sam examined the cut and found it improved, though still open and slightly bleeding. The burn from Alice's lighting was all but gone, leaving a hairless patch of pink skin. "Sorry. How are you feeling?"

"Alive. Which is better than I **should** be feeling. Thank you, Sam. You're the best."

Sam smiled. "Come on," he said as he helped Strawberry stand, "let's get you back to the down."

* * *

It was almost nighttime when the pair climbed the top of the hill. A group of rabbits immediately ran to meet them.

"Sam!" It was Hazel who had yelled. "Are you alright? Frith above! What happened to Strawberry?"

"He got injured fighting Alice," Sam replied. "Can you help me get him into the warren? Take the other side, but be careful. That's where Alice cut him." Hazel nodded and carefully propped up Strawberry's other side. As the pair led Strawberry to the warren, Sam saw the Redstone rabbits milling about outside. A loud cheer rang out once Sam and Strawberry were spotted. Many of the Redstone rabbits tried to crowd closer and speak to Strawberry, but Leafless and Bigwig kept them back, allowing the group to get into the warren.

Sam got Hickory and Marigold's attention and motioned them to walk alongside him. "Just so you know, you'll be safe to leave for Applebark tomorrow. Alice won't bother you." He chuckled. "Heck, I don't expect she'll bother **us** for a while."

"You beat her?" Hazel asked. "You really beat her?"

"I didn't defeat her for good," Sam replied, "but I gave her a send-off she won't soon forget." They got into the burrow and lowered Strawberry down to the ground gently.

"That's good," Hazel said. "The less we see of her, the bett-"

"Strawberry!"

Sam and Hazel barely turned their heads in time to be shoved out of the way by Clover. She screeched to a halt next to Strawberry and lowered her face close to his. She nuzzled him gently. "Strawberry, are you alright?" she asked gently.

Sam felt someone slide in next to him, and turned to see Glade standing there. Her eyes were focused on Strawberry and Clover. "She came as soon as she heard. She was so worried about him. And how about you?" she asked as she nudged Sam. "Are you alright?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks to Strawberry. He got the worst of it, but I think he's going to be alright."

"I was so scared when everyone else got to the down and you weren't there," Clover said, ignoring Sam and Glade. "I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you."

"I'm going to be alright, Clover," Strawberry responded. "It's going to take more than Alice to keep me down. You won't have to worry about me leaving any time soon."

Clover smiled and touched her nose to Strawberry's. "Good," she said as she lay down next to him, careful to avoid irritating his injury.

"Come on," Glade said to the others in the burrow, "let's go. I think they'd like a bit of privacy." Everyone agreed and walked back outside the burrow. Sam watched the others exit the warren, but hung back a bit.

"Are you sure you're alright, Sam?" Glade asked in concern. She saw the teen waver in his stance a bit, and moved to stabilize him.

"I'm alright," Sam responded. "I'm just really tired. Something weird happened while I was fighting Alice, and I think it wore me out a little."

Glade smiled. "Well then, you need some sleep too. Come on, let's get you into the burrow. Sam nodded and leaned on her to keep his balance as she led them to their burrow. "So, what happened during the fight?" Glade asked while they walked. "It had to be pretty odd for **you** to call it weird."

"It was," Sam replied. "My eyes were glowing. And I was strong, **really** strong. And I was…mean. Angry. I don't really know, Glade. I'll explain the whole thing in the morning. For now, though, I'd just like to get some sleep."

Glade nodded. "I understand," she said as she lay down next to him. "I imagine all the rest will be as well, soon. I heard you tell Hickory and Marigold that you beat Alice and that they don't have to worry any more. They'll want to get an early start tomorrow, I'd think."

"That's good," Sam said with a yawn. "The sooner they get to their new home," _and away from me,_ "the better."

Glade nuzzled the back of his head. "I'm glad you're alright. Good night."

"Good night, Glade."

A/N: The next chapter might be a little longer in coming. I think it's going to end up being very long, and there will be a lot of interesting things going on, so I want to be sure I get it right. I'll write as quickly as I can though!


	32. Chapter 31

A/N: Just a warning, this chapter gets a bit dark in the middle.

Chapter 31

"So, how are you getting along?" Sam asked Marigold and Hickory. It had been a week since the Redstone rabbits had made their move. Sam, Fiver, and Blackavar were visiting to be sure they had encountered no problems.

Marigold replied, "We're doing well. Thank you for checking on us, Sam and Fiver. And…Blackavar, was it?"

Blackavar smiled in response. "That's me! Pipkin and Snowdrop are on sentry duty, and Gillia was being a lazy ears. So I decided to come with my uncles to see how you were doing."

Hickory, who was listening silently to the conversation, raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Uncles, Sam?"

Sam smiled in a mixture of pride and embarrassment. "Obviously I'm not their blood uncle. Hazel insisted. Not that I mind," he said, playfully ruffling the fur between Blackavar's ears. The young rabbit chuckled and pushed his paw away. "They're awesome kids. Isn't that right, Fiver?"

"As you say," the mystic replied.

"Are you alright?" Sam asked. "You've been acting weird all day." No answer. Sam prodded his friend's shoulder. "Hey, Fiver? What's wrong?"

Fiver did not answer immediately and continued to look ahead. He shook his head suddenly and smiled at Sam. "I apologize, Sunflower, what were you saying?"

"I was asking if you were alright." Sam moved close and examined Fiver's face. "And really…you **don't **look alright." The rabbit's pupils were dilated and he felt cold.

"I am fine," Fiver replied, "I just need a drink. Blackavar, would you like to accompany me?"

Blackavar nodded. "Sure. We'll be back in a moment, Uncle Sam."

Sam watched the two of them head toward the nearby stream with a concerned look on his face. "I think we should go," he said to Marigold and Hickory. "Fiver's acting really weird right now. It's probably best to get him back to the down."

Marigold and Hickory nodded as one. "We understand," she said. "You go and take care of him; we will be fine on our own.

Sam nodded and went to collect Fiver and Blackavar from the stream. It was a short walk, and he soon heard the running water. Suddenly, a shout of surprise rang through the air, followed by a splash. Alarmed, Sam ran and burst through a cluster of bushes to find Fiver sitting on the bank. Alone.

"Fiver! Where's Blackavar?"

The mystic glanced at Sam. "He fell in," he replied simply.

"What?"

Sam pushed past Fiver and looked up and down the stream. He soon spotted a thrashing blob floating downstream. It was fighting to stay above water, but looked to be slowly sinking.

"Blackavar!"

Sam raced downstream after him. The teen changed to his human form and leapt into the water. Although the current was too much for a young rabbit with no swimming experience, it was nothing for a human. Sam soon caught up to Blackavar and looped an arm around his chest. It was more difficult to swim trying to carry another body, but Sam quickly made it to the edge of the stream and dragged the pair of them onto land. Sam gently patted the young buck's back as he coughed up the water he had breathed in.

"Are you alright, Blackavar?" Sam asked as soon as the rabbit was breathing normally again.

He coughed once more before answering. "I…I think so. Thank you, Uncle Sam."

Blackavar was shivering, so Sam moved closer to keep him warm. "What happened? How did you fall in?"

"I'm not sure. I thought I felt something hit me, but I probably just imagined it. The ground must have collapsed or something. It **did** look kind of shaky."

"No matter," Sam replied. "Let's get you back to the warren. Can you stand?" Blackavar struggled to his feet and stood on shaking legs. He nodded. "Good. Let's get you back to the down." Sam looked around. "Where the hell is Fiver?"

"I am here."

Sam turned as Fiver slowly walked up to the pair. "Is Blackavar well?"

"We'll be alright," Sam said. "We're going back to the down. Why don't you lead the way?"

"Alright."

Sam let Blackavar lean on him for warmth and support while the group walked back to the down. They got to the foot of the hill, and Sam slowed for a moment. He watched Fiver walk through the barrier. The mystic cringed, his teeth clenched in extreme pain. But in a moment it was gone, and he continued walking.

Sam narrowed his eyes, but followed Fiver nonetheless. When they crested the hill, Sam immediately found Hazel and Primrose and told them what had happened.

"Hazel," Sam said, drawing the chief's attention away from his son, "I need to have a word with you."

Hazel nuzzled Blackavar once more and followed Sam to the edge of the hill. "Sam, I cannot thank you enough. If you hadn't been there…"

"Don't mention it, Hazel," Sam replied. "But that's not what I wanted to talk about. Have you…noticed anything weird about Fiver recently?"

"What do you mean?"

"He's been different the past few days. Distant. At first I didn't think anything about it, but it was really bad today. It's like he doesn't care about anything. He didn't even bat an eye when Blackavar fell into the water!"

Hazel was shocked. "Are you sure, Sam? I can't think my own brother would be so indifferent."

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. Do you know what he said when I asked where Blackavar had gone?" Sam adopted an emotionless tone. "'He fell in.' That's **all** he said, **exactly** like he said it! Tell me what part of that says he cares."

Sam and Hazel stared at each other for a moment before the chief sighed and looked away. "Alright, Sam, I'll keep an eye on him. There is too much evil out there to take any chances. And thank you, again, for saving Blackavar."

Sam smiled. "Anytime."

* * *

Three days later, Blackavar's accident was all but forgotten, and things were normal on the down. Although Sam and Hazel had kept a close eye on him, Fiver showed no other signs of abnormal behavior. The sun was setting on a beautiful day as the rabbits retired into the warren. Except for Hazel and Sam.

"So what do you think?" Hazel asked.

Sam shrugged. "I'm not sure. I know what I heard, but Fiver has been fine for the last few days."

"Perhaps it was only temporary? He could have been sick. You know he wouldn't have told anyone if he **was**."

"Maybe," Sam responded uncertainly. "I guess all we can do is keep watching and hope for the best. Hopefully he was just having a bad day." Sam shook his head. _It doesn't feel right. I'm missing something, I __**know**__ it!_

Hazel interrupted his thoughts. "Come on, Sam. Let's get some sleep. We won't solve our problems just by sitting here exhausting ourselves."

Sam nodded and the two of them went into the warren. Sam nodded a good night to Hazel as he entered the burrow he shared with Glade.

She raised her head as he approached. "What did Hazel say?"

Sam sighed as he lay down. "He's hoping it was just a fluke and that Fiver is fine. I hope he's right, but I just don't know. Something still seems off, I just don't know **what**."

"Don't worry, Sam," Glade said as she nuzzled his side, "I'm sure you'll figure it out. You always do."

Sam closed his eyes. "I just hope I figure it out before anything bad happens." With those troubling thoughts in his head, Sam drifted off to sleep.

Elsewhere in the warren, someone was being kept awake. Try as he might, Silverweed could barely close his eyes before his aching head forced him back awake. He groaned, softly so as not to wake his burrowmates, Pipkin and Fiver. _Frith above,_ he thought to himself, _I would give anything to get some sleep tonight. Three days of restless sleep. Why now?_

"Pipkin, are you awake?"

Silverweed's thought were interrupted when a whisper broke through the silence. Silverweed did not move and merely listened.

He heard Pipkin stir. "Mmm. I am now, Fiver. Are you alright? Did you need something?"

"Fine. Let's go for a walk."

There was the sound of stirring, which Silverweed took to be Pipkin sitting up.

"A walk?" Pipkin said, confused. "It's the middle of the night, Fiver."

"It's important. Trust me."

Silverweed shivered as Fiver spoke. _Say no, Pipkin. Something is very wrong with Fiver. I can feel it._ As gently as he could, Silverweed tried to probe Fiver's mind. _Being a mystic, his mind is somewhat protected. Maybe if I just…_ Before he could do more than touch the surface of Fiver's mind, Silverweed suddenly felt a burning jolt streak through his head. It was all the rabbit could do not to shout in pain.

Pipkin continued speaking, unaware of the silent attack happening. "What's so important that you have to wake me? Shouldn't you talk to Hazel or Sam?"

"**Not the Mess-** No, they won't understand. If you're my friend, Pipkin, you'll come with me. **Quietly**." Without another word, Fiver got up and walked out of the burrow. Silverweed listened as he heard Pipkin sigh and follow the other rabbit.

_No!_ Silverweed waited until he could not hear the pair anymore, and then got up himself. _I have to tell someone, quick!_ Making sure he was not heard by Fiver, Silverweed quickly made his way to Sam's burrow.

Urgently, he shook Sam's shoulder. "Sam, wake up! It's Fiver. He's taking Pipkin somewhere. Get up!"

Sam opened his eyes and shook his head. "Silverweed? It's the middle of the night. What are you…" he drifted off as Silverweed's words hit him. "Fiver's doing what?"

"Taking Pipkin somewhere. He didn't say where. Please, Sam, something's wrong. Fiver isn't himself. There's something…**else** there, inside him. I tried to look inside his mind, but it attacked me."

Sam stood, still trying to shake the sleep out of his body. "Maybe it was Fiver that attacked? I know that if you went into **my** mind, **I'd** try and fight back."

Silverweed shook his head furiously. "It doesn't work that way. Fiver gets visions, he doesn't **attack**. That's how **I** would respond. Why are we still talking? We need to follow them!"

"Yeah, alright," Sam replied. "Lead the way."

"Where are we going?"

Sam and Silverweed turned to see Glade rubbing her eyes. She smiled at their confused looks. "What? You two aren't exactly quiet. Now don't we need to **go** somewhere?"

Silverweed's ears perked up. "Right! Come on!" The mystic bolted out of the burrow, followed closely by Sam and Glade. The three ran outside, and immediately picked up Fiver and Pipkin's scent. The trail led down the hill.

"Just come on!"

"No, Fiver. I'm not leaving the down without telling someone, and you shouldn't either."

"That's them!" Sam said.

Silverweed nodded. "Come on."

They got to the bottom of the hill and saw Fiver and Pipkin facing each other just inside the barrier. Fiver's eyes widened as he saw the three rabbits running towards them. "No! It's too soon!" Suddenly, Fiver lunged at Pipkin, trying to shove him away from the down. Pipkin, being the larger of the two and having had some owsla training, easily withstood Fiver's charge. The smaller rabbit was thrown backwards, outside of the barrier. Sam heard a feminine grunt as he hit the ground.

"Get off me you stupid rabbit!"

Sam immediately changed to him human form upon hearing Alice's voice. He created a bright fireball in one hand and held it up, illuminating the area. "Where are you, Alice? Show yourself!"

He heard laughter in the night as Alice suddenly appeared.

Sam was so surprised, his fire almost went out. "How did you…" Sam said in confusion.

Alice chuckled. "The night is Master's domain. I can move as I please, seen or unseen."

Sam groaned inwardly. _Wonderful. As if she wasn't already bad enough, now she can turn __**invisible**__._ He began charging a Frith Beam in his hand, making no effort to hide it. "Yeah, night, whatever. Listen, we're already having problems tonight that don't involve you." He pointed his hand at Alice. "Now step away from our friend, and get out of here. I don't have time to deal with you."

Alice chuckled. "Who says it doesn't involve me?" She turned to Fiver. "Would you say it involves me, bunny?"

"I should think so," Fiver replied. "That's what Master says, and who am I to disagree?"

This time, Sam's fire did go out for a moment. He quickly relit it as he stared at Fiver in shock. Which quickly deteriorated into dread. "No. No, no, no, Fiver, **please** no! Tell me she didn't get you."

The mystic laughed darkly. "Alice did not **need** to get me. I simply…chose the winning team. Shall we, Alice?"

"Go ahead."

With no further warning, Fiver lunged at Pipkin and managed to grab him by the scruff of the neck. Fiver began to drag him outside the barrier towards Alice. Sam immediately grabbed Pipkin's back end and began to pull. Alice similarly grabbed Fiver, and the two pulled. As hard as Sam tried, Pipkin slowly began sliding outside the barrier.

Suddenly, Silverweed called out. "Sam! Do you trust me?"

"Yeah," Sam groaned as he tried to keep ahold of Pipkin, "why?"

"As soon as I say, let go of Pipkin and fire a Frith Beam at Alice."

"What?"

Silverweed held his paws to his head in concentration. "Just do it! Now!"

Sam let go of Pipkin with one of his hands. The buck quickly began to slip from his grasp as Sam blindly shot a Frith Beam into the dark. He heard Alice give a small yelp in surprise as the pull against Pipkin significantly lessened. Suddenly, Fiver began yelling in pain and let go of Pipkin's fur, allowing Sam to drag him back into the barrier.

"Grab Fiver too," Silverweed yelled, strain evident in his voice. "Hurry!"

Fiver was thrashing on the ground in pain. Avoiding a cuff from his flailing limbs, Sam grabbed the mystic and dragged him towards the group as well. Upon crossing the barrier, Fiver took a shuddering breath and lay still. His chest rose and fell with shallow breaths.

"Damn it!"

Sam looked behind him to see Alice standing outside the barrier with a scowl on her face. "Fine, Sam, be that way. This is going to be interesting, isn't it? How will you deal with a traitor in your ranks?" She began to laugh.

"Shut up!" Sam yelled, firing another Frith Beam at her. Alice dodged and, with a mischievous wink, disappeared. Sam shook his head in frustration before turning his attention back to his friends. Silverweed and Glade were cautiously looking Fiver over, while Pipkin sat by himself off a little way. "Are you alright, buddy?" Sam asked, kneeling down next to the rabbit. "Are you hurt?"

Pipkin sniffled, and Sam could see he was fighting back tears. The teen moved to give him a hug, which Pipkin gratefully accepted. "Why would he do that, Sam? Why would Fiver betray us to the Black Rabbit? He's our friend. He's **my** friend…isn't he?"

"I don't know what to tell you, Pipkin. The only thing we can do is wait until he wakes up and ask him." Making sure Pipkin was alright, Sam moved over to Fiver. He still showed no signs of waking up. "How is he?" Sam asked Glade.

"I'm not sure," she responded. "He doesn't seem hurt in any way, but he won't wake up. I don't know what happened that caused him to scream like that."

Sam turned to Silverweed, who began to look guilty. "Silverweed," Sam asked, "do you know what's wrong with him?"

Silverweed nodded. "Do you promise not to tell Hazel? I don't think he'd be very happy with me."

Sam's eyes narrowed. "I can't promise that, Silverweed. Now, what did you do?"

The mystic sighed and looked away. "It's another of my powers. One I never told you about. I had hoped I'd never need to use it again. Cowslip used to call it the mind burn, and it does exactly what the name says. Basically, I break into someone's mind, and burn it out. Leaving nothing but an empty shell."

"And you did that to **Fiver**?" Sam yelled accusingly. "What were you thinking?"

"No, I didn't!" Silverweed said quickly. "Not entirely, anyway. To fully understand, I need to tell you how mystic powers work and where they come from." When Sam made no move to stop him, Silverweed continued. "There's another…place out there, Sam. A plane of existence you can't see. I don't know if it has a name, but it is very strange. And it can be very dangerous. That's where Fiver gets his visions. I believe Frith speaks directly to Fiver's mind through this plane. For my part, that's how I can see into others' minds. Every mind exists separately in there. I can project myself into the plane and travel to another's mind, where I can either look into their thoughts, or adjust them as I see fit. Like I did when I lived under Cowslip."

"Or you can destroy their mind," Glade said in disgust. "As you see fit."

Silverweed was saddened. "It's not something I do lightly. I've only done it once in my life, to a homba that was very good at avoiding the farmer and the snares. When I burn out someone's mind, it isn't a passive process. I have to watch as everything is destroyed. Their memories, their senses, everything."

"How in the world can you even **do** this?" Sam asked curiously. "I know you're a powerful mystic, but you don't seem strong enough to wipe out someone's **mind**."

"No, it isn't my power," Silverweed replied. "Like I said, the mystic plane can be dangerous. If you aren't careful, you can lose yourself there. It's a risk I take every time I go there, that if I were to lose my concentration and lower my guard, I would be swept away and my body would die. I use that power to burn out others' minds. Imagine the mind as a bubble, with all that you are inside. Most living things cannot withstand the energy outside their mind, so the bubble provides protection, and separates you from the outside. When I burn a mind, I just open a hole in the bubble and let the force from the mystic plane to the rest."

"So you ripped open Fiver's mind?" asked Pipkin, who had come over to listen as well.

Silverweed shook his head. "Not exactly. I only opened a very small hole, just enough to distract him. And I made sure to close it when he was unconscious."

"But he was in so much pain," Pipkin pressed. "That seems a bit much for a distraction."

This time, Silverweed smiled. "Actually, that pain was a good sign. I thought something was wrong with him, and that proved me right. Fiver is a mystic, and even though he doesn't travel that plane as I do, his mind is still capable of resisting the energy. If he was in his right mind, he would have been able to handle that little energy, easily. But **he** didn't. Something else did." Seeing the blank looks in his friends' faces, Silverweed continued. "There's something in his mind, holding him captive. That pain was him crying out at the invasion, because whatever is holding him divided its attention and lessened its grip to combat my attack."

Sam interrupted, "What do you mean something **has** him?"

"I wasn't able to get a very clear look," Silverweed said hesitantly, "but it looked like the same thing Cowslip had wrapped around his mind."

"The Black Rabbit," Sam said angrily. Silverweed nodded. "Well, that shouldn't be a big deal, right? If I shoot him with a Frith Beam, maybe I can set him free like I did Wheatstock?"

"Be gentle, Sam," Silverweed said, stepping away from Fiver. "His mind is sure to be very tender right now."

Sam nodded in understanding and pointed a glowing hand at Fiver. Just as he was about to fire, the small buck suddenly sat straight up.

"**Halt your attack, Messenger, or I shall destroy him!**"

Sam let the built up energy dissipate in shock. "Fiver! Are you alright?"

"**Your friend is under my control**," Fiver said in a deep voice. "**Any attempt by you to dispose of me will not end well**." He turned his attention to Silverweed. "**What I will do to this buck's mind will make your **'**mind burn**' **look like a cheap parlor trick**. **You would be surprised how much agony can fit into a single moment**."

"What do you want with him?" Sam yelled, grabbing Fiver's shoulders. He gave the buck a small shake. "Get out of him!"

Fiver chuckled. "**If you want me to leave, you need to come in here and get me**," he tapped a paw to his head as he spoke. Fiver then point to Silverweed. "**I am sure that one has more tricks up his sleeve he hasn't told you about**. **I will be waiting, Messenger**." With that, Fiver's body went limp in Sam's arms. With a shake of his head, Sam lowered his friend gently to the ground.

Pipkin nuzzled his friend gently, tears coming to his eyes again. Glade approached Sam. "What do we do?" she asked.

Sam sighed. "We help him. Somehow. Silverweed," he said, getting the other mystic's attention, "was he right? Do you know of some way we can help Fiver?"

"I m-might," Silverweed hesitantly admitted. "But it could be very dangerous. I've never tried it before."

"Well you have to try it tonight. I'm not just going to let Fiver stay like this. What do we have to do?"

Silverweed replied, "With a cooperative mind, I **think** I can bring someone with me into the mystic plane. If the two of us could get into Fiver's mind, then maybe we can find the Black Rabbit and defeat him at the source. But there's no guarantee it will work, Sam. Like I said, I've never tried this before."

"Don't worry," Sam said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I trust you. What do I have to do?"

"Hold on," Glade interrupted. "You're doing this right **now**?"

"Yes," Sam said immediately. "The sooner we free Fiver's mind, the better."

"Alright, Sam, pay attention," Silverweed said. "You're going to feel a pressure on your mind, but you can't fight it. You'll want to. You'll want to fight me as hard as you can. But you need to stay calm and let me in. From there, you just have to trust me." Sam nodded. "Alright, take my paws in your hands, and concentrate."

Sam nodded and wrapped his fingers around Silverweed's front paws. Silverweed nodded, and Sam began to feel a pressure on his head. Although his first instinct was to press back against it, Silverweed's words rang in his head. Sam fought to stay calm past the feeling of someone digging into his mind. His eyes began to droop, and he was soon asleep.

* * *

Sam felt someone shaking his shoulder. He tried to push them away, but the shaking only became more insistent. Soon, a voice reached his ears.

"..am! Wa…up, Sa…ou alright?"

The teen's eyes fluttered open. As he blinked, Silverweed's face came into focus. The rabbit helped him sit up. Sam took a look around them, and his eye immediately widened. All around them was a sea of flowing colors. He and Silverweed sat in what appeared to be a grey, dingy bubble. But even through the bubbles walls, Sam could see many colors. He looked in all directions, even up and down, but all he was able to see was the multi-colored maelstrom. Shades of red, blue, yellow, and every color in between swirled around them.

"It's beautiful in its way, isn't it?" Silverweed asked, drawing Sam's attention. "Sometimes when I'm bored, I come here and just watch the colors. You could watch forever and not see them all." Silverweed exchanged a small smile with Sam before addressing their reason for coming. "We need to get to Fiver's mind. I know the way. Just leave it to me." With a wordless command, their bubble began to move through the swirling colors, heading for some goal Sam could not see.

"This…is incredible," Sam said in awe. His mouth temporarily stopped working as they passed a large, white sphere. "What was **that**?"

Silverweed nodded his head, and a silver thread shot out to connect their bubble with the sphere. The mystic closed his eyes for a moment. "That…is Glade's mind." He opened his eyes and the thread disappeared. He chuckled slightly. "She's worried for you, Sam."

Sam smiled wistfully in return. "That doesn't surprise me." His smiled disappeared quickly. "How far is Fiver's mind? We were sitting right next to him; he can't be **that** far away."

"It shouldn't be long now," Silverweed replied. "In fact…" he paused as another thread connected to a sphere in the distance. "There he is!" Silverweed grimaced in pain as the thread suddenly shattered. "The Black Rabbit knows we're coming."

As they closed on the sphere, Sam and Silverweed could see black tendrils dancing on the surface.

"That's good," Silverweed said. "Fiver's still in there, and he's fighting back. But it looks like he's losing. We need to hurry, Sam." They closed in on Fiver's mind. "Hang on, this could get bumpy. I have to fight past Fiver's natural defenses, plus whatever the Black Rabbit throws our way."

"Is there any way I can help?" Sam asked.

Silverweed shook his head. "Just keep quiet. I'm going to need to focus. Get ready, we're about to connect!" Sam and Silverweed braced for an impact, but none came. Silverweed's face scrunched up in confusion. "Something's wrong. We should have encountered **some** type of resistance by now. It's like we're being invited in. But that doesn't make sense unless…" Silverweed's eyes widened suddenly as he turned to Sam. "It's a tra-"

The rest of Silverweed's sentence was cut off as their protective bubble suddenly exploded, sending the two of them flying in separate directions. Sam cried out for a moment before he lost consciousness again.

* * *

When Sam woke up, he was surprised to find himself lying on something soft. And furry. The teen opened his eyes and came face to face with the lifeless eyes of a dead rabbit. With a cry of shock, Sam pushed himself away from the corpse. It was then that Sam looked around him, and immediately hit his knees.

In every direction, as far as he eye could see, were dead rabbits.

Tears sprang to Sam's eyes, and he immediately wiped his hands on his shirt. Only the fact that it would be so disrespectful to the rabbits around him, kept the contents of the teen's stomach down.

"Why?" Sam managed to choke out. _Is this Fiver's mind?_ he thought in horror. _What has that monster been doing to him? I have to find him!_ As he completed his thought, a slight breeze blew into his face, carrying with it the smell of rot and decay. Sam turned and saw Watership Down in the distance. The hill looked the same as is always did: the grass was green, and the beech tree stood proudly at the top. "That has to be where he is," Sam said out loud, mostly in an attempt to keep himself from breaking down at the death that surrounded him. "I have to get there."

Sam weakly got to his feet. A lump rose in his throat as a sickening realization hit his mind: to get to Watership Down, he would have to walk across the bodies of the dead. Steeling himself as best he could, Sam began to walk. Although he tried to place his feet carefully, every step was accompanied with the sound of snapping bones and the sickening collapse of flesh.

_I'm sorry_, he thought sadly. _I don't know who any of you are, but I am so, __**so**__ sorry that this happened. I'll make it right, I swear._"

Suddenly, the air turned cold around him. Sam looked around in confusion, when a very young rabbit appeared in front of him. The rabbit had its back turned, but Sam was still able to identify it.

"Fiver?" he asked in surprise. "Fiver! It's Sam! Come on, we have find Silverweed and-"

"Parli! Don't go!"

Sam stopped as a younger version of Fiver's voice cut through the air. He watched as Fiver ran and nuzzled an adult rabbit that had just appeared.

"Please don't go, Parli," Fiver begged. "It isn't safe!"

The older buck rolled his eyes and stroked Fiver's head calmingly. "Don't be silly, Fiver. Me, Holly, and a few others of the owsla are just going on a short patrol. There are never any elil on the route we're taking. Everything is going to be fine."

The youngster shook his head. "No, it won't! I saw it, Parli; a vision in my head. It isn't safe for you out there!"

"Oi, come on, Poppy," called a faceless rabbit. "We're starting the patrol."

"Hazel," Fiver's father, Poppy, called out, "come and take care of your brother. We need to get going."

A younger version of Hazel appeared and ran over to the two of them. He set a paw on Fiver's shoulder. "Yes, Parli. Please, be careful."

Poppy chuckled. "I'll be back soon, Hazel."

With that, Poppy turned to join Holly and the others, and they were off.

Hazel watched them go, and then sighed. "Hrair-roo," he said sadly, "you have to stop telling others when you get these visions. You know they never believe you."

"But **you** believe me, Hazel," Fiver insisted. "Help me convince Parli to stay. I saw it, Hazel! In my head, I saw him die. Please, Hazel!"

"Maybe you were wrong. I'm sure everything is going to be-"

"No! You know I'm not wrong, Hazel. I've **never** been wrong!" Hazel would not meet the smaller buck's eyes. With a pitiful sob, Fiver dashed off and disappeared.

"I hope you're wrong this time, Fiver," Hazel said, staring after Poppy and the others. "Just this once, I hope you're wrong."

Sam moved to lay a comforting hand on Hazel's shoulder, but his hand passed right through the buck. None of it had been real.

"Poor kid," Sam said with a shake of his head. "No wonder he was so unsure of his visions when we first met."

With nothing else to do, Sam carried on. Although he had not walked far, Watership Down was noticeably closer. Sam had not walked far before he heard crying. Looking to his side, Sam again saw a younger Fiver, this time huddled next to Hazel, crying on his shoulder. The air around them darkened, indicating it was nighttime.

"I'm sorry," Holly said to the two brothers. "There was nothing we could do. The homba snuck up on us. Poppy…your parli saved our lives. He was a hero." The young bucks did not respond. Holly's ears dropped in sadness. "Let me know if you need anything," he said as he hopped away, leaving the two alone.

Hazel nuzzled his brother close. "I'm so sorry, Fiver. You were right. You're **always** right. From now on, I promise to listen to your visions, no matter what. I won't let something like this happen, ever again."

The vision faded, just like the last one had.

"I'll find you, Fiver," Sam said to himself. "I promise."

The teen continued to walk, finding Watership Down very close now, as if the land itself was moving for him. He turned toward the hill, and suddenly his vision was filled with a bright light.

He stood facing the down. It was early morning, and a light fog had settled on the top of the hill. "It's beautiful," he said unconsciously. Sam was surprised to hear a different voice come from his mouth. He tried to touch his throat in confusion, but his arm did not obey.

"Yes, Fiver, it is."

Sam's head moved unconsciously to look at Hazel's smiling face looking down at him. _Since when was Hazel taller than me_? Sam thought to himself.

Sam felt someone tousle the fur between his ears. He looked over to see Bigwig towering over him with an awed smile on his face.

"Frith knows I didn't always believe you, lad," the large rabbit said, "but you were right all along. Good job, Fiver."

_I'm Fiver!_ Sam realized. _I'm seeing things through Fiver's eyes! And this…must be the day they came to the down._ The teen chuckled to himself. _So does that mean there's another me waiting on the hill_?

"Thank you for believing me, Hazel," Sam said in Fiver's voice.

"Always, little brother. Always."

Another flash of light, and Sam found himself back in his own body. He was standing at the foot of the down. He took a step forward, and was greeted by spongy grass under his feet rather than flesh and bone.

"Thank you," Sam said both to himself and to the countless dead in his wake. "I don't know if any of you were ever real, but-" Sam turned and his mouth went slack with surprise, cutting off his words. Where before there had been dead rabbits, there was now endless water. Sam looked to either side of the hill and found the same. Watership Down had just become an island. "No way but forward, huh?" Sam said, turning his attention back to the top of the hill. "Fine by me." Sam charged a Frith Beam in each hand and made his way to the top of the down.

As he crested the hill, Sam was surprised to see…nothing wrong. Sam let the beams in his hands disperse as he looked over the down. He saw all his friends, Fiver included, lounging happily outside the warren. The only ones missing were Silverweed, and himself. Sam was about to call out to the rabbits, when he saw a copy of himself walk around the tree. The Watership Down rabbits called out in greeting, but he seemed to take no notice. The other Sam had an emotionless look on his face, and in his hand, he held the staff that Alice had destroyed the first time they met. There were blades fixed to both ends.

Before Sam could react, his clone took a wide swipe with his staff, and caught Dandelion in the chest. The lanky buck hit the ground, a deep gash running across his torso. Sam watched in horror as the life quickly drained from his eyes. The rabbits cried out in fear and surprise. Bigwig and Campion were the first two to react. They rushed the other Sam as one, attempting to end the fight quickly. With a cruel smile, the copy dodged a swipe to the head from Campion and drove a glowing green fist into his stomach. Sam heard a sickening crunch as Campion flew through the air. He landed on the ground, barely breathing. Blackberry cried out in alarm and ran to her mate's side.

Bigwig was almost upon him, and Sam hoped an attack by the owsla captain would be enough to defeat the evil doppelganger. Unfortunately, the other Sam heard him coming. With a swift turn, he held out the staff in front of him. Unable to stop his momentum, Bigwig impaled himself on the spear. With a grunt, Sam managed to swipe the spear to the side, flinging Bigwig to the ground next to Dandelion. He was dead before he hit the ground.

The copy was about to advance on the rest of the rabbits, when he heard a sob behind him. He turned to see Blackberry crying over a barely conscious Campion. With a roll of his eyes, Sam snapped his fingers, and a wave of fire erupted around the pair. The real Sam started to move to their side, when suddenly a ring of fire erupted around him as well, trapping him in one spot. Campion and Blackberry's cries rang through the air as they were burned alive. Soon, they stopped yelling, and slumped to the ground. With another snap by the evil Sam, the fire was gone. Where the two rabbits were, there sat two smoking, indistinguishable forms.

This action snapped the other rabbits out of their panicked stupor, and they began to run from the down. All except the junior owsla. Although Hazel and Primrose nudged and pushed, Pipkin, Blackavar, Snowdrop, and Gillia were too scared to move. Seeing the evil Sam approach, the pair positioned themselves protectively in front of the younger rabbits, grim looks written on their faces.

"No," Sam said to himself as he watched his double close in on the group. He leapt through the fire surrounding him, gasping in pain as the flames licked across his body. Wasting no time, Sam ran at his copy. The other Sam held his staff aloft and was about to bring it down on Hazel's neck, when Sam jumped between them and grabbed the staff as well. For a moment, the two Sams pushed against each other, trying to gain control of the staff. In a desperate move, the real Sam lunched forward and head butted the other, causing him to lose his balance. Sam charged a Frith Beam and launched it point blank into the copy's stomach, causing him to disappear in a puff of black smoke.

Sam sighed in relief. "Hazel, Primrose, are you two alri-" He froze when he turned around. Hazel and Primrose lay on the ground huddled together in a pool of blood. There were deep stab wounds in both of their chests, and neither was breathing. The junior owsla as close by, all of their heads twisted almost one hundred eighty degrees. Sam immediately hit his knees. He knew it was just a dream, and that everything was just a product of the Black Rabbit's influence, but the sight of his friends lying dead was too much for the teen. Sobs racked Sam's body and his vision blurred with tears.

"Hazel?"

Sam's head snapped up when he heard the voice. Standing on the edge of the hill was a rabbit with a shocked look on his face. "Fiver!" Sam immediately stood and began to approach his friend.

Fiver's eyes widened in fright and he backed away. "Stay away from me, you monster!" Tears were streaming down the mystic's face. "How could you do this to us?"

"Fiver, what are you…" Sam raised a hand to beckon his friend to stop, when he realized it was covered in red. Suddenly, there was a weight his other hand. Sam looked to see that he was holding the spear the copy had used to murder the others. There was a copious amount of blood on both ends. A disgusted sound escaped Sam's mouth as he threw the spear as hard as he could over the edge of the hill. "Fiver, I didn't do any of this. You have to beli-"

"**Shut up**!"

The force of Fiver's shout stunned Sam into silence. The mystic continued. "I watched you kill them!" Fiver shook head, as if trying to clear the memories away. "Why, Sam? They trusted you; **I** trusted you! Why help us for so long, just to betray us now?"

Sam kept his distance, not wanting to frighten Fiver into bolting. "Fiver, you have to listen to me. None of this is real. The Black Rabbit has high-jacked your mind, and he's controlling your thoughts. You need to fight him!"

Fiver scoffed. "A dream? We're on the down in the middle of the day." Tears appeared again on the small buck's face as he struggled to speak past the sobs. "And you just killed my brother!"

"Fiver, I didn't-"

"**Liar**!" Sam was flung off his feet as a wave of black energy erupted from Fiver and crashed into him. The teen lay on his stomach and watched as Fiver's eyes slowly faded to black. "I watched you kill them! I saw it! And I won't let you hurt anyone else." With that, Fiver flung a paw in Sam's direction, causing another blast of energy to fly his way. Sam barely had time to move before the blast tore the ground apart where he had been laying.

"Fiver, please-"

Sam was interrupted by another blast aimed at his head. He ducked just in time. Realizing that Fiver showed no signs of listening, Sam went on the defensive, hoping to wear his friend down. He dodged blast after blast, each one getting closer to its mark. _I have one chance_, Sam thought to himself as he dodged another attack. The teen stood and faced Fiver, charging a Frith Beam in each hand. When Fiver fired a wave of energy, Sam launched a Frith Beam directly at it. He immediately charged the small rabbit as his light cut through the darkness. Fiver gasped and ducked out of the way of the Frith Beam, allowing it to pass safely overhead. Before he could move, Sam was on top of him, pinning the buck to the ground.

Fiver thrashed wildly. "Calm down, Fiver," Sam said as he struggled to hold the buck down. "I'm not going to hurt you; I just want to talk."

"No!" Fiver began struggling harder. Far harder than his small size would imply. "Leave me alone! I said, **get off!**" Before Sam could react, a dark bolt of lightning struck him in the shoulder, sending him flying. Sam's back struck the tree, and he lay there weakly as he tried to shake the stars out of his vision. When he looked up, Fiver stood there glaring at him. But behind the mystic floated a black cloud in the vague shape of a rabbit. It had its paw on Fiver's shoulder, but he did not seem to notice.

"**It is no use, Messenger**." The words came from Fiver's mouth, but Sam knew it was not his friend speaking. "**This rabbit is mine to do with as I will. And soon, you will be too.**"

Sam struggled to stand, but his body was wracked with pain that originated from his shoulder. "Leave him alone," Sam managed to say. "Do whatever you want with me, but leave my friends alone."

Fiver chuckled in the evil being's voice. "**That's not going to happen.** **If they had simply let you go, I might have willing to ignore them. But by allying themselves with you, they have made themselves my enemies. And I do not show mercy.**"

"Sam? Fiver!"

Sam looked up and saw Silverweed floating quickly towards them in a bubble like they were riding in before.

"Get out of here, Silverweed!" Sam shouted, finally struggling to his feet. "The Black Rabbit is too strong. I don't know if I can beat him."

"Would you like some help?" Silverweed asked calmly.

"What? No! I said run!"

Fiver smirked. "Feel free to help, if you like."

Before Sam could respond, his limbs began to move of their own accord. Try as he might to resist, he jerked back and slammed, once again, into the tree. This time, his arms and legs remained plastered to the wood in a spread eagle.

The teen faced Silverweed with a sad look on his face. "No, Silverweed, not you too?"

Silverweed smiled. "**What can I say? It's obvious the Black Rabbit is stronger. Why not get in on the ground level?**"

"How the hell did you get him?" Sam asked the black mass still floating behind Fiver. "I can understand Fiver, but there's no way you would have been able to take Silverweed quietly. He would have resisted long enough to warn us."

Silverweed chuckled, drawing Sam's attention back to him. "**Get him? I have always HAD him! I have held this one's mind since infancy. He has always been mine. Do mind reading, thought manipulation, and the ability to destroy someone's mind strike you as Frith-given?**"

"That's why the barrier affected them," Sam said in realization. "It wasn't trying to hurt them, it was trying to hurt **you**!"

Fiver and Silverweed nodded simultaneously. "**Correct. As soon as I realized that neither I nor my servant could infiltrate that damnable wall of yours, I knew I had to find…other methods. It was simple to use the mystic plane to break into this one's mind,**" the shadow gestured to Fiver as it spoke.

Despite the severity of the situation, a curious thought ran through Sam's head. "Is that why Silverweed is so odd? So…advanced for his age?"

"**I admit, there were side effects I did not anticipate. It is a shame, really. He has so much potential for destruction, only to be wasted on such a short life. Pathetic. But enough of this prattle! I have won, Messenger. Do you know what happens if you are killed outside of your body?**

Sam frowned. "I imagine I die?"

Dark laughter came from both Fiver and Silverweed. "**Not quite, but close enough. Now, my servant, kill him!**" Fiver nodded and raised his front paws into the air. The down shook for a moment, until a large stalagmite from the cave below burst through the ground. It floated closer to Sam, the sharp tip resting just over the teen's heart.

"**Any last words, traitor?**" Fiver asked.

"Come on, Fiver, don't do this," Sam pleaded. Just think about this for a second. Why would I do this? I love you, **all **of you. I would never hurt any of you!"

"**You're lying! I saw everything!**"

Sam pressed on. "None of this is real, Fiver. It's all in your head. The Black Rabbit is in your mind and he's trying to use you. Silverweed brought me into your mind so we could save you." Sam glanced at Silverweed, still floating in his bubble. "Although, I admit the rescue isn't going very well. Please, Fiver, you have to believe me. I'm your friend."

The stalagmite lowered slightly as a frightened look crossed Fiver's face. "**That can't be right. I wat**ched you kill Hazel…"

"That was a copy, Fiver. An imposter created by the Black Rabbit."

Fiver put a paw to his head and grimaced in pain. Is…is that possible?"

"**Why are you hesitating?**" The Black Rabbit yelled. "**Kill him!**"

"Do you remember the first time we went to Cowslip's warren?" Sam asked. "None of the others really understood why it was so terrible there. Only you, and to a lesser extent, me. We slept outside in the rain that night, because it was better than being there. We've **always** been there for each other. Any time you had a vision, I believed you implicitly. And you were the one who got the others to trust me when I first arrived. Please, Fiver, believe me now."

"I…I don't…" Fiver stammered as the stalagmite hit the ground.

The Black Rabbit growledat Fiver in displeasure, though the mystic showed no signs that he heard. "**It looks like you still need more convincing. Very well, I know of one casualty that will cement the Messenger's betrayal in your mind.**"

Sam's eyes widened as something seemed to come from within him and land on the ground. The figure stood, and Sam saw another copy of himself, complete with the bladed staff.

Fiver took a step back in fright. "H-How did you get down from the tree?"

The real Sam, still being held by Silverweed's powers yelled, "That's not me, Fiver! That's the fake one!"

"**He cannot hear you,**" Sam heard in his head. "**I do not allow him to see. He can only see my construction. Now, watch closely, Messenger. Think of this as a glimpse of your future.**"

"Sam?" Panic gripped the teen's heart as he heard the familiar voice, tinged with fear. Glade stood near the edge of the hill, looking at the bodies of their friends with a horrified expression on her face. "Sam, what in Frith's name happened here?" The copy did not answer. He merely gave a small smile, and slowly walked towards her.

"No…" Sam said as he realized what he was about to watch. "No!" He struggled as hard as he could, but his invisible bindings held. An idea quickly entered his head. _Sorry, Silverweed,_ he thought as he twisted his hand and shot a Frith Beam at the floating rabbit. Silverweed cried out in surprise. The beam shattered the bubble, and the rabbit dropped to the ground. At once, the force holding Sam to the tree dissipated, dropping the teen to the ground. He looked up to see the other Sam raising the staff in the air. Glade just stared at him, uncomprehending. Sam dove at the pair.

"Glade!"

*Spuck*

Sam's right shoulder was on fire. He could not feel his arm, and his side suddenly felt wet. The teen forced his eyes open, and saw the staff stuck in his shoulder. The copy, who stood with a stony look on his face, had chopped downward, but Sam had been faster. He managed to take the blow, leaving Glade unharmed.

Fiver stared at the scene in shock. "S-Sam? How is there two of you?"

The Black Rabbit flew in front of him, blocking his view and shouting. "**Do not look at him! Kill the Messenger, now!** Fiver simply walked through him, unseeing.

"I told you, Fiver," Sam managed to say, "there was a copy." He tried to prop himself up on his good arm, but collapsed again when the staff shifted in his shoulder. The right side of his body lay in a quickly growing pool of blood. "I'm the real one. **That** is the copy you saw do all the killing." Fiver hesitated. "It's a fake, Fiver. We're in your head. Please, you have to believe me."

"Sam, I…" Fiver hesitated for a moment, but then ran to the teen. As he ran by, the copy vanished in a puff of black smoke. Tears ran freely down the buck's face. "Sam, I'm so sorry. I…If I had believed you in the first place…"

Sam raised a blood-covered hand and laid it on the buck's shoulder. "What's important is that you believe me now. Because we aren't done yet."

"What can I do?"

"**You petulant worm! How dare you disobey a direct order from me.**"

The angry shout drew Sam's attention back to the Black Rabbit, who was slowly extending a tendril of black smoke towards Fiver. "Move!" Sam yelled as he fired a Frith Beam at the Black Rabbit. Fiver ducked just in time and the beam flew between his ears. The eyes in the smoke widened, and it disappeared just before the beam hit.

"Wha-What was that thing?" Fiver asked in shock.

"It was the Black Rabbit," Sam grimly replied. "He's been on your shoulder the whole time, you just didn't see."

"And you beat him?"

Sam shook his head. "I'm not sure. Look around, Fiver. Don't forget, we're in **your** head. If he's here, you should be able to find him."

Fiver nodded and closed his eyes. Sam waited anxiously as the mystic concentrated. "He's still here," Fiver said at last. "But he's scared. Cautious. I don't know if he will approach again while you and I are together."

"Then you need to **make** him, Fiver."

The buck looked at Sam with doubt on his face. "Sam, this is the Black Rabbit. How could I **make** him do anything?"

Sam shook his head, trying to stave off the unconsciousness that threatened to overtake him. "It's your head, Fiver. You're in control here. Sure, the Black Rabbit broke in and captured you, but you're free now. He's in your territory and you're calling all the shots. You can do whatever you want, and no one can stop you. Just believe in yourself."

Fiver nodded slightly. "I'll try." He again closed his eyes. Sam looked around, though his vision was quickly fading to black. Nothing happened. Sam was about to ask Fiver if it was having any luck, when suddenly, the pain in his shoulder disappeared. His eyes widened as the staff slowly worked its way out of his shoulder, but Sam felt no pain. The staff hit the ground and disappeared, and Sam watched as his shoulder slowly began to mend itself. When it was whole, the teen moved his arm, and was pleased to find no pain. Fiver opened his eyes and smiled. "It looks like you were right: I can do anything here."

"Thanks, Fiver," Sam said gratefully as he stretched his shoulder. He was pleased to find there was not even any tightness. It was as if he was never injured. "I owe you one."

The rabbit shook his head with a smile. "No, now we're just closer to being even. And next up…" He again closed his eyes. In a matter of moments, small puffs of black smoke began to collect in front of them. Once it was all back together, a domed barrier formed around the cloud. Angry black eyes glared at them from within the shield.

Sam gave a wide smile. "Fiver, that's brilliant!" He stepped closer and flicked the barrier, finding it to be rock hard. "It's a **lot** more fun being on this side."

Fiver replied, "The best part is that I made it noise-proof." With a wave of his paw, the down was filled with enraged screaming that Sam could not understand. Fiver let the Black Rabbit yell for a moment before silence fell once again. "I figured I've been listening to his voice for too long already."

"It's probably for the best," Sam agreed. "Now what are you going to do?"

The rabbit's gaze drifted to the stalagmite he had threatened Sam with, still sitting on the ground. "You have to defeat him, right?"

Sam grinned. "I'm up for a bit of poetic justice." Fiver nodded, and closed his eyes. The stalagmite slowly rose from the ground and floated over to them. It positioned itself directly over the cage, its tip just touching the surface. The Black Rabbit looked up at the rock, and back at the pair.

"He doesn't seem very afraid," Fiver observed.

Sam put his hand to his chin while he thought. He snapped his fingers as a realization hit him. "Hey Fiver, can you bring that thing down here?" The stalagmite floated down next to Sam. The teen touched his hands to the rock and concentrated. He smiled when he saw a yellow glow spread along the surface. In just a few moments, the stalagmite was glowing brightly. It lit up the down, even though it was daytime. Sam watched in satisfaction as the shadow inside Fiver's barrier pressed itself against the far side, trying to get as far away from the shining spire as it could. "Alright Fiver, let him have it!"

Fiver nodded, and with a swipe of his paw, brought the stalagmite crashing through the shield. As the wall broke, Sam and Fiver heard a scream of agony. A shockwave knocked the pair off their feet. When they got up, the Black Rabbit was gone.

Sam helped his friend to his feet. "Fiver, you did it! That was amazing. I'm so proud of you."

Fiver nuzzled Sam in gratitude. "I couldn't have done it without you. If you and Silverweed…hadn't…"

Their eyes widened in realization.

"Silverweed!"

As one, they raced over the down to where Silverweed had fallen. He lay on the ground, moaning his pain. One of his legs was bent at an odd angle.

Fiver immediately set to work healing him while Sam softly shook his shoulder and spoke. "Silverweed, wake up. We did it. We won. The Black Rabbit is gone now, you're going to be fine."

The rabbit coughed weakly. He opened his eyes, and Sam was dismayed to find they were still black. "You think he would come here personally? He would be away from his territory, and it was inevitable you would find him. Don't be so foolish. My master yet lives."

Sam immediately began charging a Frith Beam. "I don't care about that right now. Get out of my friend. Now!"

"I **am** your friend! I stole into this rabbit the moment he was born. There is nothing in here but me. If you destroy me, you will merely have a shell."

Reluctantly, Sam let the beam go. He sighed. "Any ideas, Fiver?"

"One moment," Fiver replied. He waved a paw at Silverweed, and then opened his eyes. "I've pinned him to the ground, he won't be going anywhere."

Sam nodded. "That's a good idea. But **now** what do we do? We can't just leave him like this, and I refuse to let the Black Rabbit have another slave. I don't know if there was ever a real Silverweed or if everything was an act, but I won't let him go through that."

Fiver shook his head thoughtfully. "I don't believe it. There has to be **something** in there of Silverweed."

"But he said-"

"Then he's **lying**, Sam! The Black Rabbit would do whatever he can to tear us apart, to make us turn on each other. I went into his mind, long ago at Cowslip's warren. I talked to a rabbit then, not this puppet before us. And do you honestly think the Black Rabbit would have done for us everything Silverweed has done? You have to believe in him, Sam. You have to fight to get him back, because I can't do it on my own."

Sam looked over at Silverweed, who was glaring at the pair through dark eyes. "Of course I'll help you. If our friend is in there somewhere, you can be damn sure we're going to get him back. What do we do?"

"Well…I'm not sure," Fiver said weakly. He thought for a moment before he hopped next to Silverweed. "Let me try something." Fiver laid his paws gently on Silverweed's chest, ignoring the other rabbit's protests. Sam watched for a moment before Fiver's face scrunched up and he jerked his paws away as if he was burned. Tears began forming in the mystic's eyes. "I can't…how can he…"

Sam was at his side immediately. "What's wrong, Fiver? Are you alright?"

"He called out to me, Sam. Silverweed **is** in there, and he's fighting as hard as he can. But the Black Rabbit…is hurting him. There was so much pain, Sam. I don't know how he can bear it!"

"Then we need to help him," Sam replied.

Fiver nodded. "I think the only thing to do is use to Frith Beam to try and get the Black Rabbit out of him."

"But he said if we do that, then Silverweed will die too!"

"No, Sam, what he **said** was that there was nothing left of Silverweed. But I know he's wrong. I felt Silverweed in there. Please, you have to do to it. Even in my own mind, I'm not strong enough to fight the Black Rabbit. Not really."

Sam hesitated. "But what if you're wrong? What if Silverweed can't fight back?"

"Do you trust me, Sam?"

"You know I do."

"Then believe in Silverweed, and use your Frith Beam."

Sam sighed and approached the rabbit still lying on the ground. His hands glowed yellow. "Are you sure?" he asked, looking back at Fiver. The mystic nodded. "Alright, here it goes."

Without another word, Sam laid one of his hands on Silverweed's forehead, and the other on his chest. He concentrated and pushed the energy into Silverweed's body. For a moment, nothing happened. But suddenly, Silverweed's eyes and mouth snapped open in a silent scream. Sam watched shock as a thin trail of black smoke emerged from his friend's mouth. Silverweed's back arched as smoke began billowing out.

"Is this supposed to be happening?" Fiver asked in alarm.

"How am I supposed to know?" Sam asked. He struggled to keep Silverweed still. "It's not like I do this kind of thing a lot."

The smoke continued for another few moments before it cut off. Silverweed took one last shuddering breath before his eyes closed again. He lay on the ground, motionless.

Fiver hopped over to the pair and bent to examine the other rabbit. "Silverweed, are you alright?"

No answer.

Sam shook his shoulder gently. Desperately. "Come on, Silverweed, wake up. You have to be alright. Please!"

Suddenly, Silverweed took in a ragged breath. His eyes fluttered open and he looked around. "S-Sam? Fiver?"

"Is he alright, Fiver?" Sam asked as he set a comforting hand on Silverweed's forehead.

"I think so," Fiver said, after a moment of concentration. "I can't feel the Black Rabbit anymore."

Before Sam could respond, Silverweed had gotten up and tightly thrown his front paws around Sam. His shoulders shook as he cried. "Thank you. Both of you."

Fiver hopped close to the pair and nuzzled Silverweed's shoulder. "You're our friend, Silverweed. We would never let you go."

The three shared an embrace before Sam spoke. "I'm glad you're both alright, but how exactly do we get out of here?"

Silverweed gave a nervous look before he answered. "I think I can still get us out." He closed his eyes and scrunched up his face. Sam watched a bubble appear around him. But instead of the dingy color it had before, the bubble was now crystal clear, and shone like a diamond. Silverweed wavered a bit where he stood inside the bubble. "That was…interesting."

"Silverweed, are you alright?" Sam asked. "You shouldn't be pushing yourself so hard. You just had a lot taken out of you, literally."

"I imagine I'll be feeling it once I'm back in my body, but I should be fine for now. Come on, Sam, let's get you back into your own mind. We can't very well leave you in Fiver's head."

Sam nodded. "Alright, let's go. Fiver, are you going to be alright here?"

"I think so," Fiver replied. "I'm ready to be in control of my own body again. Besides, I need to apologize to Pipkin and Blackavar."

"Why Blackavar?" Silverweed asked.

Fiver looked ashamed. "I was the one that pushed him in the river a few days ago. The Black Rabbit was trying anything he could to distract us, and he thought hurting Hazel through his children would be perfect."

Sam knelt down and gave his friend a hug. "Don't worry, they'll forgive you. I'm sure of it. We'll see you in a few minutes, alright?" Fiver nodded, and Sam walked over to Silverweed. He passed into the bubble and the two took off.

"This may be a bit bumpy," Silverweed warned. "This is technically the first time I've used these powers. In the past, it has been the Black Rabbit that did everything."

"Even the times that you helped us?" Sam asked.

The rabbit nodded. "The powers were hosted in my body. I had **some** say over what they were used for."

The pair rode in silence for a time until Sam spoke. "Are you sure you're going to be alright? After everything that happened to you, both today and before, you seem strangely calm."

Silverweed gave a small smile. "To be honest, I don't know what's going to happen when I reach my body. The Black Rabbit is gone from here," he gestured to himself, "but I haven't been back to my real body to feel it yet. It hasn't hit home, so to speak."

"I…think I understand," Sam said with an utterly confused look on his face. "I guess we'll just have to see."

"Here's your stop," Silverweed said as their bubble pulled up to a large, glowing sphere.

Sam could not suppress a chuckled as he looked at the orb. "It's weird to think that I'm looking at my own mind." He scrunched his eyes as the sphere began to glow. "Is that normal?" he asked Silverweed.

Silverweed shook his head, still smiling. "Sam, your mind is anything **but** normal. Frith allows you to strike down evil with his power. Does it really surprise you that he protects you as well? It's why I couldn't break into your mind back at Cowslip's warren, although I didn't know it then. As far as I can tell, your mind is still impenetrable."

Sam's eyes narrowed slightly. "You've **tried** lately?"

"It was one of the first things I did when I came to the down," Silverweed replied. "I asked Hazel about it in private, and he agreed it would be a good idea to know how strong our friends' minds were. I merely prodded their defenses; I never went **into** their minds."

"I find it strange that Hazel wouldn't have told me about it," Sam said.

Silverweed chuckled. "Why? It isn't like you could have **done** anything. Why would you stop me? It's useful information to have. And you certainly couldn't have helped me."

"I supposed you're right," Sam admitted. He soon grinned. "Just out of curiosity: who was the strongest?"

"It was actually rather surprising. Fiver noticed the second I even grazed his mind, and **your** mind lashed out at me. But excluding the two of you, some of the strongest were Bigwig, Primrose, Snowdrop, and Hawkbit. They-"

"Hold on," Sam interrupted, "**Hawkbit**? How did **that** happen? No offense to him, but he doesn't seem like the type to resist a mental attack."

"Most rabbits defend themselves with force of will, but with Hawkbit, it's pure stubbornness. As soon as I started pressing, his mind began twisting and turning to keep me out. It was rather disconcerting. But you'll never guess who had the strongest mind."

"I would think it would be Hazel," Sam replied. "Or maybe Campion. I could even see Glade having a shot at it."

"Glade was actually on the weaker end," Silverweed said. "No, the strongest mind was actually Pipkin. I'm not even sure if I can get into his mind. I pushed much harder than I did with anyone else, and his mind barely yielded at all. I was afraid to try harder in case I hurt him. He's so worried that if something gets in his mind, it will use him to hurt the rest of us. His loyalty to his friends is one of the strongest things I've ever felt."

A smile grew on Sam's face as he listened. "I suppose it isn't that surprising, after all. Pipkin would do anything to keep everyone safe." The two were silent for a moment before Sam turned back to his mind. "So how do I get back in there? Do I have to meditate or something?"

Silverweed chuckled. "Nothing as serious as that." Without another word, Silverweed pushed Sam out of the bubble. The teen barely had time to register what had happened before a blinding white light filled his vision.

* * *

Sam slowly opened his eyes. Once they adjusted to the darkness, he saw Glade standing over him with a concerned look on her face.

She smiled when she saw him wake up. "Sam! Are you alright?" Glade moved to support him as he struggled to sit up. "Fiver woke up just a moment ago, and Silverweed is still sleeping."

"How long were we out?" Sam asked. Hearing voices, Sam turned to see Hazel and Pipkin talking quietly with Fiver. "Long enough to get Hazel and drag us to the top of the hill, apparently." The group sat at the top of Watership Down, close to the beech tree.

"Hazel, Pipkin, and I brought the three of you up here," Glade replied. "We thought it would be safer than staying at the bottom."

"Probably," Sam said. "Thanks."

"It's we who have to thank **you**, Sam." Sam looked as Hazel approached him, followed by Fiver being supported by Pipkin. "Fiver told me everything that happened. I wouldn't have thought the Black Rabbit capable of invading our minds. Thank you, for helping my brother."

Sam nodded. "How are you holding up, Fiver? Feeling any better now that you're yourself again?"

"I certainly feel better than I have in the past few days," the mystic replied. "I'm a bit weak and I have a slight headache, but I'm alright otherwise."

"Me too," Sam said, standing up slowly, and finding himself to be sturdy. "I wonder how Silverweed will be."

A pained groan answered his statement. Sam moved immediately to Silverweed's side as the buck's face scrunched up in pain.

Sam set a gentle hand on Silverweed's forehead. "Silverweed! Are you alright? How are you feeling?"

He whimpered in response. "Not so loud, please," he begged. "My head is killing me." He twitched for a moment before lying still again. "Ow!" Tears appeared in the corners of the buck's eyes. "I can't move. Everything **hurts**!"

"Just take it easy, Silverweed," Sam said calmly. "One step at a time. Can you open your eyes?"

Silverweed's eyes flickered open for a moment before snapping shut again. "Why is everything so bright?"

Sam exchanged a confused look with the others gathered behind him. "Silverweed, it's the middle of the night. And it's cloudy."

"It was like looking into the sun."

"Let's just get you into the warren," Sam said with a sigh. He changed into his rabbit form, and with Glade and Hazel's help, managed to get Silverweed balanced on his back. "I think some sleep will do us all some good. Glade, is it alright if Silverweed spends the night in with us?"

"Of course," she replied immediately. "You can stay as long as you need, Silverweed."

"I plan on spending the night with Fiver and Pipkin as well," Hazel said. "Bigwig and Campion were the only two to wake up when Pipkin came to get me, so none of the others know that anything is wrong. We can tell them in the morning."

"Sounds like a good plan," Sam replied. "Have a good night."

Hazel and Pipkin helped Fiver into the warren first, with Sam and Glade following behind them. Sam entered their burrow and set Silverweed on the floor gently. He moved the rabbit into a comfortable position and lay down next to him, with Glade on the other side.

"Try and get some sleep, Silverweed," Sam said. "Hopefully you'll feel better in the morning."

"I'm sorry for all of this, Sam," Silverweed said quietly. "I'm sorry I'm causing so much trouble."

Before Sam could respond, Glade spoke up. "Silverweed, if Sam got mad at everyone that caused trouble in this warren, he would hate all of us. You're our friend. You **can't** cause enough trouble that we wouldn't help you."

"I...thank you…" Silverweed's words drifted off as he fell asleep.

Sam smiled. "That was well said, Glade," he said quietly.

She chuckled. "It's true, though. You have your paws full cleaning up all our messes."

"I don't care," Sam responded. "There's still nowhere else I'd rather be. Good night."

"Good night, Sam."

* * *

Sam walked out of the warren the next morning feeling completely refreshed. Glade had already gone, and Silverweed was still sleeping. The other rabbits were awake, having had a full night's sleep. The only ones not present were Silverweed and Fiver, who was presumably still sleeping.

Campion approached him immediately when he exited the warren. "How are you doing, Sunflower?" he asked. "Glade and Pipkin told us what happened last night."

"It was pretty crazy," Sam admitted. "I'm not sure I'd like to do it again."

Campion's concerned gaze hardened slightly. "You should have woken us up. It was foolish to do something so dangerous without help."

"But what help would you have been?" Sam replied. "We didn't have any time to get anyone else when Silverweed woke us up, and you wouldn't have been any help when we went into Fiver's mind, either. The Black Rabbit would probably have shown Fiver visions of you attacking everyone at my side. Probably possessed like Wheatstock was." Seeing the logic in the teen's reasoning, Campion calmed down. "Thank you for caring, Campion," Sam continued. "But I was brought here to fight the Black Rabbit, and you have to understand that there will be a time where you can't help me. I'm going to have to do it by myself. But knowing you, Bigwig, and the others are here protecting everyone, takes a big weight off my mind."

"I feel almost as powerless as I did at Efrafa," Campion admitted. "There is no worse feeling than watching innocent rabbits get hurt and knowing there's nothing you can do about it."

Just then, Glade and Blackberry walked up to the pair. Blackberry gave Campion a nuzzle and sat next to him. "What are the two of you talking about?" Glade asked as she sat next to Sam as well. "You look so serious."

"I was just telling Sunflower that he shouldn't do everything on his own," Campion said, touching noses with Blackberry.

Glade rolled her eyes. "Good luck. I've been trying to drive that into his thick skull for a while now. He just doesn't get it."

"I **get** it just fine!" Sam protested. "There are just some times when I would be better off alone."

"How do you know?" Blackberry asked. "You never ask for help, so how do you know you're better off alone?"

"It never goes well when I have other rabbits with me. They always end up getting hurt."

Campion shook his head. "That's because you don't ever bring enough. Take the entire owsla against Alice, and I bet she won't come out so well."

"Frith knows I've been waiting for a chance at her," Glade added.

Sam smiled smugly. "Ganging up on me isn't going to work. The bottom line is that Fiver and Silverweed are alright, and I did it by myself."

"For once, I agree with him."

The four of them gasped in surprise as Fiver walked slowly out of the warren. His legs quivered slightly with each step, but he made his way steadily over to the group. "I don't like Sam trying to protect us all on his own, either," Fiver continued, "but it was for the best this time. There's no telling what the Black Rabbit would have done to any of you."

"How are you feeling, Fiver?" Sam asked. "Should you be walking around yet?"

Fiver smiled. "I'm alright, if a bit weak. I can't imagine how Silverweed must be feeling. The Black Rabbit was only in me for hrair days. He has been there Silverweed's entire life!"

"Why don't we go see how he's doing?" Blackberry asked Campion. He nodded and the pair stood. "I'm glad to see you're doing well, Fiver. Just be sure you take it easy. You're already weak, and too much exertion could make you sick."

"I will, Blackberry," Fiver replied. "Thank you." He watched them go before turning back to Glad and Sam. "Glade, I was wondering if I could have a word with Sam in private?"

"Sure," Glade replied with a yawn. "I think I'm going to go take a nap. Sam and Silverweed kept me up all night with their glowing."

Sam's eye widened slightly. "I was glowing last night?"

"Yeah, you and Silverweed both. Just after you fell asleep, the two of you began glowing. You kept it up most of the night. I was tempted to go join Hazel, Fiver, and Pipkin in **their** burrow."

"Um…sorry?" Sam replied in confusion. Glade chuckled and waved away his apology before she, too, went into the warren. Sam turned back to Fiver. "Any idea what that's about?"

Fiver gestured for Sam to follow him and he began walking to the edge of the hill. "Dandelion could probably tell it better," Fiver said as they walked, "but I may have an idea about it. There is a legend that when Frith gave the animals their gifts, a piece of Him entered into them as well. Every animal has a bit of Frith in them. But if the Black Rabbit has held Silverweed for his entire life, that might not be the case for him. Now that he's free, I assume Frith would seek to correct that. He probably used you as a conduit, since you're already so receptive to His powers."

"That makes sense, I guess," Sam said. He stopped when he realized he and Fiver were almost to the bottom of the hill. "Fiver, where are we going?"

"I suppose this is far enough," Fiver said, more to himself than in response to Sam. "I didn't want to worry the others, but you need to know."

Sam put a paw on Fiver's shoulder. "I'm getting a little worried here, Fiver. What's going on?"

"Sam, while the Black Rabbit was holding me captive, I was able to pick up some of his thoughts. Do you know why he took over my mind?"

Sam shrugged. "I thought it was an attempt to get to me. He know how much I care about all of you; hurting you would be a good way to make me lose my focus."

Fiver frowned. "He **was** trying to get to you, but not in the way you think. He knew Silverweed would bring you into my mind, and then turn against you. He wanted to kill you in my mind, leaving your body an empty husk."

Sam's eyes widened in realization. "Do you mean…"

Fiver nodded grimly. "The Black Rabbit wants to take control of you."


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"Bigwig, wake up."

"Guh, huh?" The captain's eyes snapped open and he looked to the entrance to his burrow. "Who…Hazel?"

"Yes Bigwig, it's me. Come outside. I need to speak to you about something, immediately."

"Embleer Frith, Hazel," Bigwig said, shaking the sleep out of his head, "it's the middle of the night. Can't it wait?"

"No, it needs to be now. Come on."

Bigwig heard the sounds of a rabbit leaving the warren. He sighed. _If this isn't important, then chief or not, I'll give him a cuff he won't soon forget_. He got up and followed Hazel out into the night. Stepping out of the warren, Bigwig did not see anyone else outside.

"Over here, Bigwig!"

The captain looked to his right and saw the vague shape of a rabbit in the murky darkness. "Hazel, what are you-"

"Follow me."

Hazel turned and began to run down the hill. Cursing under his breath, Bigwig broke into a run to keep pace with the chief. _This better be good…_

* * *

"Sam? Are you awake?"

The teen roused slowly. He looked over to his side to see the remnants of a glow retreating from Silverweed's sleeping form. Glade had decided to sleep with Fiver and Pipkin until Silverweed was better, so it was just the two of them. He looked over to the burrow entrance to find Primrose, looking worried.

"I am now," Sam replied groggily. "What's wrong, Primrose?"

"I'm worried about Hazel. Bigwig just asked Hazel to step outside to talk, but he seemed strange. I just went outside, and there was no one out there!"

Sam woke up completely upon hearing that. "They're not out there?" Primrose shook her head. Sam quickly got up and ran outside. No one. Sam put his nose to the ground. _They definitely both came out this way; I can smell them. But it smells like Hazel went __**this**__ way_, he looked off to the left, _and Bigwig went the other way. But why would they split up?_

"Did you find anything?" Primrose asked, breaking Sam out of his thoughts.

"Stay here," Sam told her before he ran into the warren again. He made his way quickly to Campion and Blackberry's burrow. Nudging Campion in the shoulder, Sam whispered, "Campion! Wake up!" The large rabbit stirred immediately and looked up at Sam in confusion. "You wanted your chance to help me. Well, you've got it. Hazel and Bigwig are missing."

"What?" Campion whispered as well, making sure not to wake Blackberry. "What happened?"

"Primrose is waiting outside, talk to her for the full story. I'm going to get a couple others." Campion nodded and made his way out of the burrow quickly. Sam continued a bit further into the warren before ducking into another burrow. He quickly tousled the fir between the ears of the two rabbits inside. "Wake up boys! We've got some owsla work to do!"

"Ugh, what time is it?" Dandelion mumbled.

"It's still dark out!" Hawkbit said in annoyance. "Are you bloody daft?"

"Bigwig and Hazel are out there somewhere, and we're going to find them. Now come on!" Their complaints forgotten, Hawkbit and Dandelion followed Sam as he made his way quickly to the exit. Campion and Primrose were talking when they got outside.

"Sunflower! Primrose told me everything," Campion said. "How do you want to handle this?"

Sam made sure all four of the soldiers were listening before he began speaking. "Campion, you take Hawkbit and go after Bigwig. Dandelion and I will go after Hazel."

"What if we run into Alice?" Campion asked.

Sam sighed. "Would telling you to run do any good?"

"Not if there is still a chance we could save Bigwig."

"Fine. Just…be careful."

Campion nodded, and with Hawkbit in tow, took after Bigwig's scent. Sam and Dandelion were about to leave as well when Primrose stopped them.

"Sam, I…"

Sam placed his paws on her shoulders. "Primrose, you have to be strong right now. If we aren't back soon, wake Holly and Glade and send them after us." Sam took a moment to swallow the knot forming in his throat. "If none of us come back, take everyone to Applebark tomorrow. And once you're there, take everyone from both warrens and run as far as you can, because that will mean we lost." Sam saw tears beginning to form in Primrose's eyes. "Can you do that?" She nodded. "Good. Thank you. Don't worry," he said, trying to alleviate the seriousness of the situation, "I'm sure everything is fine. We're probably blowing this **way** out of proportion."

"Please, go," she said. "Please find Hazel, quickly."

Sam nodded, and he and Dandelion ran the other opposite direction of Campion and Hawkbit. Hazel's scent lead down the hill and into the woods near the bottom of the down.

"What do think happened?" Dandelion asked as the followed Hazel's trail.

Sam shook his head. "I'm not sure. I can't imagine what would be so important that Bigwig would wake Hazel in the middle of the night. And I don't know why they would suddenly split up and run off the down."

Dandelion slowed and perked his ears. "Wait a moment, do you hear that? I think I hear voices."

Sam quieted down and listened. He was just able to make out frantic yelling. It sounded like…

"Hazel! Dandelion, come on!" Sam said and ran forward. As the pair ran quickly through the brush, the yelling became clearer.

"Run, Bigwig! Just leave me!"

"N-Never, Hazel-rah. Not even if the Black Rabbit himself were here."

"If Master were here, you wouldn't still be alive."

Sam's eyes widened at the familiar voice, and he put on a burst of speed. He burst through the bushes into a clearing, and his eyes widened. On one end stood Alice. One of her arms was bleeding freely from a deep bite. The other held her sword, stained red. Bigwig and Hazel stood on the other end. Hazel was lying on the ground behind Bigwig. There was a deep stab wound through his leg, preventing him from moving it. Bigwig stood on heavily shaking legs. His body was riddled with numerous cuts, both deep and small. The captain's face was covered with blood stemming from one of his ears. Sam grimaced to see that Bigwig's left ear was missing the top half. It was a clean cut, and bled freely.

Alice noticed the pair immediately. "Oh darn, I was hoping it would have taken you longer to catch up. Oh, and you brought **another** rabbit! Good, these two are almost broken."

Sam ignored Alice, instead moving quickly to Bigwig and Hazel's side. "Are you two alright?" he asked in a concerned voice. Dandelion went to Hazel's side, while Sam attended to Bigwig.

"Sam, be careful," Hazel said. He winced in pain as he bothered his injured leg. "Bigwig is-"

Before he could finish, Bigwig turned and tackled Sam to the ground. Sam looked into the captain's face, and saw pitch black eyes. Bigwig just stood there, his paws pinning Sam's shoulders. "S-Sam," he stammered, "I can't-I can't stop. Help me!"

_Sorry Bigwig_, Sam apologized silently. _This is going to hurt._ With no warning, Sam switched to his human form. This unbalanced Bigwig enough for Sam to wrench an arm free from the captain's grasp. The teen immediately reached up and grasped Bigwig's injured ear. Before Bigwig could react, Sam channeled a Frith Beam into the appendage. Bigwig bellowed in pain, and backed off of Sam's chest. Sam immediately placed his other hand on Bigwig's chest and continued to push. When the darkness in his eyes began to clear, Sam stopped and let the rabbit fall to the ground. Bigwig lay still, breathing heavily.

"Ooo, so close," Alice said in disappointment. "He almost got you. He's a strong one, that Bigwig. Master would **love** him."

"Hazel, are you going to be alright?" Sam asked, still ignoring Alice.

Hazel nodded. "I'm fine for now. Bigwig took the brunt of Alice's attack."

"Sunflower!" Just then, Campion and Hawkbit burst from the foliage as well. "What-"

"Campion," Sam said, catching the warrior's attention, "you, Hawkbit, and Dandelion get Hazel and Bigwig out of here. I'll take care of Alice."

"But-"

"Go, Campion."

The rabbit nodded and he and the other two ran over to Hazel and Bigwig.

Satisfied that his friends were going to be alright, Sam turned his attention back to Alice. He generated a fireball in one hand so he could see clearly, and charged a Frith Beam in the other. "Leave, Alice. Now."

Alice put her hands on her cheeks and made a terrified face. "Oh no, big bad Sam is threatening me! I guess I better do what he says." She held her pose for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Don't you wish it was that easy?" Without another word, she backed into the shadows and disappeared.

Sam's eyes widened as he looked around furiously. A snapping twig to his right was all the warning the teen had. He hit the ground, barely avoiding a dark bolt of lightning as it blasted over his head. Sam quickly rolled to the side and launched a Frith Beam in the direction the lightning had come from. He caught a glimpse of Alice as the beam illuminated the clearing, but she quickly faded back into the darkness.

_She's only invisible in the dark!_ Sam realized. Thinking quickly, he created explosive fireballs and rolled them to the edges of the clearing. Soon, the area was lit by what appeared to be candlelight. Dull as the light was, it was enough to reveal Alice leaning against a tree, looking rather annoyed.

She shook her head. "You always have to ruin all my fun, don't y-" She did not have time to finish speaking as Sam attacked with another Frith Beam. Alice moved as quickly as she could, but it was not quick enough. She let out a scream of agony as the beam hit her right leg dead on. She fell to the ground.

Sam approached the fallen girl as she clutched her leg, which had turned completely black, as if burned. He was about fifteen feet away when he stopped and charged a Frith Beam in each hand. "You know, Hazel is like a brother to me. He's been there for me since day one; he made me an uncle to his children. Hell, I even took a bullet for him. Bigwig and I haven't always gotten along, but I've never had a more loyal friend in my life. He taught me how to fight. We've patrolled together, fought together, and always had each other's back. And you hurt both of them tonight. Not a smart move." He leveled the two handed beam at Alice's face. "One way or another, you're done hurting my friends."

Just then, Sam heard a voice behind him.

"I came back as soon as I could," Campion said as he emerged from the bushes. "Dandelion and Hawkbit are-" He never got to finish, as a streak of lightning struck him directly in the chest.

"Campion!" Sam ran to his friend's side. The rabbit's breath was ragged, and his chest had a large, smoking, black mark on it. Angrily, he turned back to Alice and launched a beam where she had been lying. But she was gone. "Damn it." Sam shook his head in disappointment and focused on Campion.

The rabbit groaned and his eyes flicked open. "S-Sunflower? What happened?"

Sam sighed in relief as his friend spoke. The large buck struggled to get to his feet, but Sam set a firm hand on his shoulder. "Hold on, Campion," he said. "You shouldn't move just yet. In case you missed it, you just took a huge bolt of lightning to the chest."

Although Campion wanted to resist, he nodded and lay on his side on the ground. "It's fine," he said, waving the teen off. "I've taken worse injuries than this."

"Electricity isn't something to mess around with, now hush."

Rolling his eyes, Campion lay back on the ground and let Sam examine his wound. Sam looked over the injury as best he could with no formal medical training. _Well, it's not bleeding,_ he thought to himself. _Not surprising. I imagine the heat from the electricity would have cauterized any bleeding that might have happened. The only other thing I can think of would be…_ Sam bent down and rested his ear gently on Campion's chest.

***thump**thump…thumpthump**thump**…thump*

"I don't think that sounds right," Sam said with a frown on his face.

"Something wrong?" Campion asked, beginning to get a bit worried.

Sam helped the rabbit to his feet. "I'm not sure. I'm not a doctor, but I think you have an irregular heartbeat. It's not uncommon after being struck by lightning."

Campion's eyes widened. "Is it serious?"

"I don't think so," Sam said hastily. "I think you'll be alright if you take it easy for the next few days. And I don't just mean doing sentry duty instead of going on patrol. Consider yourself confined to the top of the down for the next three days."

"Now hold on one moment," Campion interrupted, "you can't just-"

"If you won't listen to me, I'll just tell Hazel, Bigwig, and Blackberry. I'm sure one of **them** will be able to get you to…" Sam drifted off as a look of remembrance flashed across his face. "Hazel! I almost forgot!" Without another word, Sam turned back to his rabbit form and took off towards the hill. Campion followed at a slower pace, mindful of what Sam had said.

As he crested the hill, Sam saw Hazel lying on the ground, being nuzzled by Primrose as he twitched in pain. Bigwig lay further away with Dandelion and Hawkbit standing around him. The two bucks stared at their chief in sadness. Sam sat next to Hazel in his human form. "How is he?" Sam asked Primrose.

Though she was on the verge of tears, Primrose managed to respond. "He's fighting, Sam, but I don't know how much longer he can hold on. Help him, please!"

The teen nodded and placed his hands on Hazel's body. He focused, and watched in satisfaction as Hazel began to glow yellow. The rabbit stopped squirming and lay still, breathing calmly. The injury he had sustained in his leg had healed some, but was still bad. Sam was not sure Hazel would ever walk without a limp again.

In a few moments, the chief groaned and opened his eyes. He held a paw to his aching head. "Is…Is it over?" He looked as if he wished to say more, but Primrose was at his side in an instant.

Sam smiled in relief as the two nuzzled each other lovingly. "Yeah, Hazel, it's over for the night. Bigwig is alright, just unconscious. And Campion should be along shortly. Everyone is alright."

"That's wonderful news," Hazel replied. "And Sam, I want to apologize. I know I heard Bigwig's voice, but I should have known something was amiss when he wouldn't show himself. I shouldn't have been so careless."

"It happens, Hazel," Sam said. "Bigwig was fooled too. The important thing is that everyone is alright. Let's get Bigwig into the warren and get some sleep. We'll tell everyone what happened tomorrow morning."

Hawkbit and Dandelion hefted Bigwig onto their backs and carried him into the warren. Campion followed behind them. Primrose, who was helping Hazel into the warren, turned back to Sam.

"Thank you, Sam. I don't know what we would do without you."

Sam flashed her a smile as the pair walked into the warren as well. As soon as they were out of sight, the smile slid off the teen's face and he sighed. "You'd certainly be a lot healthier." 

* * *

The morning after the attack, Hazel and Primrose held a meeting in the Honeycomb. They explained to everyone how they had been tricked, and set rules to avoid similar tragedies. Everyone was to have a partner with them at all times, and no one was allowed off the down without permission from Hazel, Bigwig, or Sam. And no one was to follow anyone out of the warren during the night, unless they had visual confirmation that the voice was from a real rabbit.

Some of the rabbits were a bit disgruntled at have such restrictions put on them, but with a bit of convincing from Holly, who was temporarily in charge of the owsla due to Bigwig and Campion's injuries, they all agreed. Sam sat in the back of the group with a frown on his face.

As soon as the meeting was over, Sam left the warren and quickly made his way down the hill before anyone could see him. He made his way back to the clearing where he had fought Alice the night before. Aside from some dried blood on the grass and a few black marks where Sam's Frith Beams had struck a tree, the area was completely calm. Sam turned to his human form and flopped down onto his back.

The memories of his friends bubbled into his mind. Scree and the junior owsla were first. The burn marks from Alice's lightning attack had healed, but they would each carry a hairless patch where it hit. Scree was luckier; none of his injuries were serious enough to cause scarring. Strawberry was next. It was a close call, but Sam managed to save his friend. The slash Alice had inflicted on him was almost healed, but it still pulled sometimes, and the buck still had to take things at a slower pace. And then Fiver and Silverweed were the targets of a new type of attack. Fiver was healthy by this point, but he still had nightmares about the things the Black Rabbit showed him during his captivity. Silverweed had finally been able to walk around on his own power a few days ago. The healing process was much slower for him, but he was making due with all his friends to help.

Of course Hazel, Bigwig, and Campion had been injured just the night before. Hazel could barely walk, and it took a lot of convincing to Sam and Primrose before they would allow him to even conduct the meeting that morning. Bigwig's injuries, though numerous, were not life threatening. As long as they made sure his ear did not get infected, Sam expected he would make a full recovery. Campion got off relatively easily. He had a large burn across his chest, but that was just a surface wound. As long as he followed Sam's instructions, his heart would most likely be fine in a few days.

Sam wiped tears off his face; he was not even aware he had started crying. _Too many hurt,_ he thought guiltily to himself. _Too many injuries I should have been able to stop. What good am I if I can't even stop my friends from being hurt_?

Before he could continue his self-depreciating thoughts, he heard the sounds of someone approaching through the foliage. He did not even have to look. "Glade, you heard Hazel. You're supposed to stay on the down."

She lay down next to him on the grass before answering. "Hazel said I could go find you once I told him you had disappeared. With**out** a partner, might I add." She mimicked Sam's voice, "You heard Hazel, no going off alone."

"I went off alone because I wanted to **be** alone. And not drawing my friends into more danger."

Glade's ears perked up at his words. "Wait, is **that** what has you so down? Sam, there's nothing you could have done-"

"How can you say that?" Sam proclaimed, jumping to his feet. He paced furiously around the clearing as he spoke. "When I first came here, Prince Rainbow told me that my job was to help you guys find peace. Well where the hell is that peace, Glade? We're about as far from peace as it gets. My one job, the one thing I had to do here, and I'm failing at it miserably. I…I think it would be best if I just left. Somehow, I'll find Darkhaven. And the Black Rabbit."

Glade ran in front of the teen and put her front paws on his shoulders. "Sam just…stop for a moment. Don't you think you're being rash? It would be stupid to go wandering aimlessly; you're just asking for Alice to ambush you. Yes, some of us are hurt, but we're all **alive**! And I know that's better than we would be doing if you weren't here."

"You don't understand," Sam replied, moving out of Glade's grasp, "The only reason any of you get injured is because the Black Rabbit is trying to get to me. I can't let anyone else get hurt because of me." Privately, he continued, _Because there's only one rabbit that would be worse to see get hurt. And I can't stay to watch that._ "I have to go, Glade."

"Then I'll come with you," Glade said desperately. "You don't have to go alone, Sam. We can help you!"

"I'm going, Glade. Don't try and stop me. And for once, don't follow me."

As she watched Sam turn and start to walk away from the down, Glade tried to place herself in his path He gently pushed her out of the way and kept walking. Glade felt tears begin to fall from her eyes. "Please don't go, Sam. We don't want you to leave. **I** don't want you to leave." Sam slowed for a moment, but then sighed and continued to walk. "Don't leave me, Sam! I couldn't bear it if you left. I…I lov-"

"As dramatic as this all is, I'm afraid I'm going to have to interrupt."

Sam froze when he heard Alice's voice. He ran back to Glade and charged a Frith Beam in each hand. "Where are you, Alice? Show yourself!" He looked all around, but there was no sign of the girl.

"Show myself? Can't do that, silly, it would ruin my plan. No, I'll just keep hiding until…right…now!"

Before Sam could react, he felt a sharp pain on the side of his head. He immediately fell to the ground. The last thing he heard before unconsciousness took over was Glade yelling his name.

A/N: Shorter chapter this time around. We're finally getting close to the end!


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Sam groaned in pain. His eyes flickered open as he regained consciousness. _Ugh, what the hell…Glade!_ He woke up immediately when he remembered what had happened.

Sam had been about to walk away from the down when Glade tried to stop him. Then, Alice had shown up. The only thing Sam remembered was being hit in the head, and then darkness. Sam got to his feet and looked all around him desperately. "Glade!" There was no sign of her, or of Alice. Sam fell to his knees. He pounded the ground in frustration.

It was then that he saw something he hadn't see for more than a year: a letter. He opened the envelope and took out a piece of pitch-black paper with white, cursive writing on it.

_Sammy-boy-_

_It's game time. It took a while, but Master is finally ready for you. I have left a trail leading from this clearing all the way to Darkhaven. It's so obvious, even __you__ should have no problem following it. Now to be sure you come, I took your little girlfriend as collateral. You have seven days to show up, even though the trip should only take you about four. If you don't show yourself in Darkhaven within seven days, the rabbit will be turned into a servant of my Master. So don't drag your feet._

_XOXO_

_-Alice_

_P.S: Of __course__ it's a trap, but I think we both know you will come anyway._

The letter burst into flames after Sam finished reading it through the second time. He glared at the falling ashes as the red glow receded from his hands. Looking around the clearing more carefully, Sam quickly noticed an unnatural break in the foliage. He looked down the cleared path and winced. All the leaves had shriveled and died, leaving a black path through the otherwise tangled undergrowth.

Sam took a step towards the path intending to leave, but something stopped him. _I can't just disappear on the others_, he thought guiltily. _I have to at least let them know what's going on._ His decision made, the teen turned and went back to the down.

As Sam walked somberly up the hill, Scree winged down next to him. "Sam, where have you been? Hazel has been worried about you and Glade since you ran off." The teen did not answer, and Scree noticed the expression on Sam's face. "Sam, are you alright? Where's Glade?"

"Is everyone still on the down?" Sam asked, waving off Scree's concern.

"Well yes, but-"

"Good." With no further words, Sam continued up the hill. Scree shook his head and flew after him. When Sam got to the top of the hill, the rabbits crowded around him in concern. His emotionless face and sagging posture made them worry.

Clover was the first one to notice the missing member. "Sam…where's Glade?"

Sam looked at the assembled rabbits and was satisfied to see everyone present. "Let's go into the warren first," he said. "I'll tell you in there." The teen watched in satisfaction as his friends nodded and made their way into the warren without argument. All according to his plan. Once everyone was squeezed into the Honeycomb, Sam took the floor. With a lump in his throat, Sam told them of Alice's ambush. He told them of the letter, and what it had said. And he told them that he had only seven days to get to Darkhaven.

"Then we don't have any time to waste," Holly said. "Dandelion, Hawkbit, and myself can go with you immediately, and as soon as Campion and Strawberry recover, they can-"

Sam held up a hand. "I'm going to stop you right there, Holly. None of you are coming with me. I'm going alone to save Glade, and all of you are going to stay here."

"Don't be foolish, Sam," Hazel said with a shake of his head. "There's no need for you to put yourself in such danger."

"We'll come with you," Dandelion added. "We might not be able to help you with Alice or the Black Rabbit, but I'm sure they won't be alone."

"Even **you** can't do **everything** on your own," Hawkbit supplied.

"I…I can't just sit here, Sam," Clover said, "not while my best friend is in danger. After everything she has done for me, I can't leave her alone."

Strawberry was quick to jump in as well. "If Clover is going, then I'm definitely going."

"No!" Sam yelled interrupting the other rabbits that were beginning to join in as well. "**None** of you are coming, understand? I'm tired of my friends getting hurt, and I won't let it happen anymore."

Holly stepped forward. "Well you can't very well stop us lad," the veteran said. "Even if you don't want us coming with, we'll just follow you anyway."

Sam shook his head. "I had hoped it wouldn't have to come to this." He pointed his hands at the group of rabbits, both glowing yellow. _If you're up there Frith, I need a hand. After all the crap I've dealt with lately, I think you owe me this one._ Sam was barely able to register a burning sensation in his hands before the power started to flow. Before anyone could react, Sam's hands let off a blinding flash that enveloped the entire warren.

Sam rapidly blinked the spots out of his eyes as he looked around. He smiled in satisfaction when he saw that all of his friends were asleep. Sam walked over and poked Bigwig in the forehead as a test. The captain grumbled, but showed no signs of waking up.

"I'm sorry I tricked you," the teen said to his sleeping friends, "but you'll thank me when you wake up. You'll all be safe here." Tears flowed down Sam's face as he made his way out of the warren. "Good bye, my friends. Thank you for everything. Hopefully I'll get to see you again."

With nothing else holding him back, Sam went back to the clearing. The path Alice had left cut a swath of death through the undergrowth. The teen felt uncomfortable just looking at it. He sighed and shifted to his rabbit form. _I'm coming, Glade_, he thought as he began down the path, cringing at the smell of dead plant matter all round him. _Just hold on._

* * *

Sam followed Alice's path to the south, away from the down. He sighed as he passed Nuthanger Farm, remembering the raids he and the other owsla members had run there occasionally. It was where Glade had proved her worth as a fighter to Bigwig, and where Sam had saved Hazel from the farmer's gun. Shaking the thoughts out of his head, the teen continued on his way. He followed the path for a few hours until the woods in the area began to thin, making way for plains and open farmland. In lieu of bushes to leave a trial through, Alice simply left a line of death through the grass; the blades black, withered, and crunchy. Sam grimaced as he entered a farmer's corn field. A large corridor was cut through the ears of corn. Some were dead, the life sucked out of them like the other plants, and others were completely cut down.

_Probably Alice getting bored,_ Sam thought to himself as he continued to follow the trail. _That's fine. I'd rather she take it out on the corn than Glade._ He broke out of his thoughts as he heard human voices closing in on his position. Dashing into the corn plants, Sam watched as a pair of farmers walked onto the black path Alice had left.

"What do you make of it, Dad?" the younger one asked. The two looked up and down the path, confused to see two rows dead while the surrounding plants were untouched. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Me neither," the father replied. Both men were at a loss. "There isn't much we can do beside watch this field closely. We can't let this spread to the rest of the crop."

Sam toned the men out as another sight caught his attention and made him groan. Out of the corn from where the men had come, walked a large german shepherd. Sam did his best to slink back further away from the farmers without attracting the dog's attention. Unfortunately though, one of the blackened leaves from the dead plants had blown in his path. Although the farmers did not hear, the dog's ears immediately perked up. Sam cursed under his breath and bolted down the path. Immediately, the dog was after him. The pair tore through the field, the dog gaining on Sam.

_I don't have time for this_, Sam thought. In one motion, he changed to his human form and faced the dog. The teen readied two energy balls and aimed them at the dog's chest. He was about to fire when the dog came to a stop and sat in front of him.

"Well look at this: a little man! And here I thought you were one of Moss's."

Sam immediately lost his concentration when the dog spoke. "I…what?"

"That explains why you're in the field during the day. Moss and I have an agreement: he keeps his rabbits out of sight of the men, I don't have to chase them."

Confused, Sam lowered his arms. "So wait a second, you **aren't** going to try and kill me?"

The dog looked mortified. "Ugh, no, of course not. I try not to partake in such beastly behavior. I don't much care for the sight of blood." He shivered slightly in disgust. "Oh how rude of me, I never introduced myself." He held up a paw in greeting, no doubt a trick taught to him by the farmers. "I am Reginald, and you are?"

Sam stepped forward and shook the dog's massive paw slowly. "I'm Sam. Good to meet you…Reginald."

"Now all pleasantries aside, I **must** ask what you're doing here. As I said, Moss and I have an agreement. I don't know if you are with him or not, but I must ask you to leave. The field is off limits to rabbits during the day. And I suppose that includes tiny men as well." The dog gestured in the direction Sam had been walking before. "Moss is that way if you're interested in joining his warren, but no matter which way you go, I insist you leave."

Sam turned back into his rabbit form. "You'll have no trouble from me; I was just passing through anyway. Thanks for, you know, not trying to kill me and all."

"Of course," Reginald said with a bow of his head. "Safe travels to you."

Sam nodded and turned to continue on his way. He tried to focus on running, but something that Reginald said kept entering into his mind. _He kept mentioning Moss. Could it be the same one from Efrafa? I never really asked Hazel or Campion which direction they decided to settle in, so it __**could**__ be them._ The teen sighed. _I better go check. If it __**is**__ them, they should be made aware of what's going on._ The way Reginald had spoken made it apparent that the rabbits lived outside of the field, so that was where Sam was headed. The rest of the journey through the field was uneventful. A few crows called out, but Sam heard no other signs of life.

Soon, he emerged from the other end of the field. In front of him was a lightly treed area covered in thick, scraggly grass. Aside from Alice's path, it looked completely undisturbed. Sam walked along the path as he thought. _Alright, now I just need to find Moss. Reginald said they were this way, so maybe if I-_

"Oy! Hlessi! I'd stay away from that if I were you."

Two rabbits appeared out a particularly thick patch of grass to Sam's right. The one that had called out to him continued, "That thing just appeared the other day. There's something off about it. Our warren is nearby if you're looking to…join…" The rabbit trailed off as he got a good look at Sam. "Hey, aren't you…you are! Bugloss, look," he said as he turned to his companion. "It's Sunflower."

The other rabbit, Bugloss, did not look pleased. "I see that, Dogwood." He turned back to Sam. "What do you want here, ithe? Here to destroy our warren again?"

Dogwood cuffed Bugloss on the side of the head. "Knock it off, Bugloss! That place was terrible and you know it." He turned back to Sam. "I assume you want to see Moss?"

"Uh, yeah. That would be great," Sam said hesitantly.

"Get to it, Bugloss," Dogwood said. "Bring Moss out here, would you?" The rabbit grumbled, but hopped back in the direction the two had come from. Dogwood sighed. "Sorry about him. It's…difficult for some of us to get used to being out of Efrafa."

"I can see," Sam said as he watched Bugloss go. "Thank you for helping me. Both with Moss, and with him."

"It's the least I could do after what you did for us."

Sam smiled. "We were glad to help. I take it you were one of the ones that rebelled with Moss then?"

Dogwood scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Actually, I was on the frontlines fighting for Efrafa. I took a hard kick to the side of the head, and ended up unconscious. When I woke up, one of the rabbits from your owsla gave me a choice: submit to Moss's command, or become a casualty. I'm not stupid, so I decided to buck up and make the best of it."

"You certainly seem to be taking it better than that Bugloss fellow," Sam replied. "It's good that you're happier without Woundwort. Moss must be doing a good job."

"As good as can be expected," Dogwood said. "Many of the owsla are still trying to fall back into their old ways of bossing around the other rabbits. Moss and those of us that agree with him do our best to keep them in line, and we're succeeding for the most part. It feels good being able to fight for something other than power and position, for a change."

"I'm glad you approve, Dogwood." The pair jumped as Moss appeared from the patch of grass followed closely by Bugloss. "Thank you, Bugloss and Dogwood, for telling me Sunflower was here. You can return to your patrol." The two owsla soldiers nodded, Bugloss rather stiffly, before walking away. Moss watched them go before turning back to Sam. "This is quite the surprise, Sunflower. After how we treated you the last time we met, you're the last rabbit I would expect to visit. How have you been?"

Sam chuckled. "This isn't really a pleasure visit, Moss. I've been much better." Sam told the chief about Alice's most recent attack, and her kidnapping of Glade. When the rabbit expressed concern at his former captain's health, he was quick to reassure Moss that Campion would be alright. He finished his story by telling how he put his friends to sleep, and set out on his own.

Despite his experiences in the Efrafan owsla, Moss was stunned at Sam's story. "That's terrible! I'm sorry, Sunflower. I remember Glade. She was the one that threatened some of the owsla when they threatened to attack you while you were recovering. I think she said something about ripping their tails off and shoving them down their throats."

Sam laughed harder than he had in weeks. "That's her alright." He sobered quickly. "I'm on my way to save her right now. I just thought I would let you know what's going on in case… well, in case you have to end up running."

"Thank you, Sunflower. I'll be sure to have the owsla keep a close watch on things."

"That's good," Sam responded. "Now I'm going to be on my way. I only have a few days to get to Darkhaven before Alice turns Glade into one of them. Take care, Moss."

"You as well, Sunflower," the rabbit said sincerely. "You know, this situation reminds me of something captain Campion told me when I first joined the owsla. He said that the job of an owsla soldier is to do the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of rabbits. Even if that means making sacrifices."

"I'm not going to leave Glade," Sam insisted.

Campion turned to go back to his warren when he glanced back at Sam. "I wasn't saying you should. It's just something to keep in mind. Farewell, Sunflower." 

* * *

The next day was largely uneventful and Sam made good time. He left the farmland behind and walked along open plains. On the third day, the plain grass began to yellow and turn scraggly. Sam was following the train burned in the grass, when it suddenly stopped. In front of the teen was a large crevasse stretching far in either direction. When Sam looked on the other side, he could see the trail pick up again.

_What did she do, jump_? He thought in annoyance. The crevasse was not terribly deep. Sam imagined getting down would be little problem, but he was not sure if he could get up the other side. As he looked to his right, the teen spotted something: a large tree had fallen across the gap, creating a bridge. _Jackpot_, Sam thought with a smile.

He made his way over to the log, but slowed as he saw a rabbit sitting in front of it. Sam's eyes widened as the rabbit's features became clear. A dark grey coat with white tipped ears. He had only seen one rabbit with that particular coloration.

"Vervain?" Sam asked incredulously. "I thought you died in the battle at Efrafa."

Vervain's gaze slid over to Sam. He gave a wide smile. "Yes, I suppose you would think that." There was an odd tone to his voice that Sam could not place. The rabbit continued speaking. "After you and those miserable vermin you call friends ruined my life, I didn't know what to do. What **could** I do? I was better than that fool Moss. He and his so-called warren are nothing. Worthless. **Meaningless**. Neither was I weak like Campion. What a joke, a once proud Efrafan captain betraying his chief and siding with the enemy."

Sam watched Vervain's face twist more and more as he spoke. It became clear that the rabbit was completely insane.

"I was there that day, you know," Vervain continued. "I watched you defeat the General. Such a good, pure rabbit defeated by an embleer ithe. But you see, I saw him. I **saw** the General's power. Such power, kept hidden all that time. That…**That** was real strength. I knew then that it was my destiny to wield such power for myself. So I approached Alice, and begged for a chance to prove myself. She took me to see our master. And it was glorious! Frith be damned, siding with the Black Rabbit is the only way to live."

Sam finally had to interrupt. "Don't be stupid!" he yelled. "The Black Rabbit isn't someone to follow or worship. He's evil! He thinks nothing of killing and corrupting innocent creatures just to suit his own selfish ends. Come on, Vervain, you're a terrible rabbit, but I can't believe you're so bad you would willingly side with something so terrible."

Vervain let out a chilling, insane laugh. "My master will cleanse this world in fire. Everything will die, and there's nothing you can do to stop him."

"Bet me." Sam began charging a Frith Beam. "I'll give you one chance to move, Vervain. I'm getting to Darkhaven, even if I have to go through you to do it."

"You just try," Vervain said with a bored tone, "see how that goes for you."

_Fine, you asked for it_. With no warning, Sam fired the beam at Vervain. The rabbit smirked and watched as the beam closed on him. As it connected with Vervain, Sam was shocked to watch as the Frith Beam passed through the rabbit, leaving him unharmed. The teen paused. "What did you…**how** did you…?"

"Would you believe that Master has never had a willing host before?" Vervain asked with a smirk. "Here's the difference: if Master takes control of someone against their will, they try and fight him off. They fail, of course, but they try all the same. They retain some part of themselves that even my master, with all his glorious power, cannot penetrate. In my case, I welcomed my master to use me as he wished. I allow him within me; I let him take refuge in the deepest part of my soul. Now Frith, being the weak fool that He is, will not harm one of His subjects. Even one that has turned their back on Him. I can protect Master from Frith, while he can still continue to grant me strength." Vervain was suddenly surrounded by a black aura. He began to float into the air. "Of course, this means that I have **quite** the advantage over you."

Sam glared at the rabbit. "That isn't the only trick I have."

With a swipe of his hand, Sam sent a wave of fire through the air at Vervain. The rabbit held up his paw, and a gale of black wind stopped the fire cold. Vervain smirked and flicked the tip of his paw.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Sam's feet began to shift. The teen barely jumped out of the way before a black spire pierced up through the ground. It was covered jagged spikes, one of which left a deep scratch up Sam's back. The teen grunted as he felt blood begin to leak down from the wound.

The ground continued to shake, and Sam jumped out of the way again as another spire appeared. He continued to dodge as Vervain summoned more and more spires.

When the shaking finally stopped, Sam looked around with a feeling of dread. He had not looked where he was jumping, and consequently, had become trapped. The spires formed a crude circle around him. They were too tall to jump over and too close together to slip between. Each one was covered in spikes, making climbing impossible.

Sam fired another Frith Beam in desperation, but it passed through Vervain as well. "It isn't going to work, Messenger," the rabbit gloated. "There is no power greater than Master and I working together."

Vervain smirked as a ring of floating black spears appeared around him. Each one of them looked wickedly sharp, and they were all pointed directly at Sam.

"Now I take my revenge for the life you stole from me!" The first of the spears began to move, when suddenly the cry of a hawk cut through the air. A brown blur crashed into Vervain, sending them both down into the crevasse.

Sam stood in the stone cage, wondering what had happened, when someone flew out of the pit. The hawk hovered above him, and Sam was shocked to see it was Scree. "What are you doing here?" Sam asked in confusion. "I thought I put all of you to sleep!"

"Grab on!" Scree yelled, ignoring the teen's question. He extended his talons so Sam could reach. Once he felt Sam's hands wrap around his legs, Scree pumped his wings as hard as he could to lift the pair out of the stone circle.

Once they were safely outside the prison, Scree landed on the ground next to Sam, breathing heavily. "I'll ask again," Sam said, "**what** are you doing here? I put you to sleep specifically so you wouldn't follow me."

"How long did you think we would stay asleep?" Scree asked. "I was the first to wake up, so I took off after you as soon as I could. Some of the others were stirring when I left, so I imagine they should be on their way by now, too."

Sam groaned in frustration. "You just can't stay safely away from me, can you?"

Scree smacked Sam in the face with one of his wings. "Of course we won't, you embleer idiot! We're your friends, and we're **going** to help you whether you like it or not!"

"Why can't you just- "

Sam was interrupted when a burst of energy erupted from the crevasse. Scree and Sam were both blow off their feet as a very angry looking Vervain floated out of the hole. His eyes were like two black holes.

"Damn bird!" Two large boulders floated up next to Vervain before they began to crack. Sam jumped in front of Scree and managed to bring up a shield to protect them both just as tiny shards of rock began flying at them like bullets from a machine gun.

"See?" Sam said as he strained to maintain the shield against the stone onslaught. "**This** is why I didn't want any of you following me! I'm barely able to stand up to Vervain. What chance do any of you have?"

"Can we beat him?" Scree asked, again ignoring Sam's worries.

"I…I'm not sure," Sam admitted. "The Black Rabbit's powers block all of mine, and Vervain lets the Black Rabbit resist the Frith Beam. I don't have anything else."

Scree stood and flared his wings slightly. "Then the only thing left is to attack him directly. And tell me who's better suited to that, you or me?"

The shield in front of them almost failed as Sam lost his concentration for a moment. "No, Scree! You can't attack him, he'll kill you! Just…give me a second. I'll think of something."

"Sam, do you want to save Glade or not?"

"Of course I do! Why would you even ask-"

"And how do you plan on doing that if Vervain keeps you stuck here? Or kills you!? I can distract him, and you can cross the bridge. Even if he beats me, hopefully you'll have enough of a head start to make it to Darkhaven."

Sam, still keeping the shield in place, was in no position to stop him. "Please, Scree, don't do this! There has to be another way!"

"If you could get him off balance, that would be a big help," Scree replied.

"That's not what I meant! I…" Sam wracked his brain trying to find an argument to keep Scree in one spot. He knew it was not possible, however. As it was, he could not beat Vervain. And Scree really was the best candidate for a physical attack on the rabbit.

In a flash of inspiration, Sam held the shield with one hand, and began building fire in the other. Once there was a break in Vervain's attack, he shot the fire into the back of the shield, sending it flying directly into Vervain. It crashed into the rabbit and sent him to the ground. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do to change your mind?" Sam asked Scree once more.

The hawk shook his head. "You need to go, Sam. Leave this to me."

Scree was about to take off after Vervain when Sam put a hand on his chest. "Let's see if I can help you at least a bit." Sam let Frith's power flow through him and into his friend, sending a prayer to Frith to keep Scree safe. When the teen opened his eyes, he saw a glow fading from Scree's body. The hawk's legs now bore identical golden anklets, and his talons were glowing faintly.

Scree took a practice swipe, and was pleased to see a trail of light cut through the air. "Thank you, Sam," he said simply. "Now go, leave this to me. I will be sure to clear the way for the others."

Sam nodded sadly and ran for the log bridge. Vervain yelled something and moved to intercept him, but Scree attacked the rabbit from the side, his glowing claws cutting deep furrows in Vervain's back and chest. Sam got to the other side of the crevasse and looked back. Vervain now focused entirely on Scree, attacking him with savage ferocity. The hawk dodged to the best of his ability and counterattacked when he could, but it did not look good for him.

Sam cursed under his breath and turned to continue running before he another thought struck his mind. He quickly set three explosives at the base of the bridge and stepped back. With a snap of his fingers, the log plummeted into the pit, unusable. Sam nodded in satisfaction before continuing on his way, the sound of fighting behind him. 

* * *

A day had passed since Scree had told him to leave, and there had been no sign of either him or Vervain. And it had been a day and a half since Sam had seen any water. Alice's path now lead through a very dry area, and Sam had not had a drink in far too long. The teen's mouth was painfully dry as he walked along the path on shaky legs. Only thoughts of saving Glade kept him going.

As the hot sun beat down on him, Sam tried to take stock of how far along he was. _This is my third day_, he thought wearily. _Moss knows. The path is destroyed so the others can't follow me. And Scree…_ he shook his head to clear the negative thoughts out of his head. It was hard enough to continue walking without remembering what he had lost.

Far in the distance, he could see a cloud of black smoke rising into the air. But it did not seem to get any closer with how slow he was walking.

"Things can't get any worse," Sam said in a raspy voice, looking at the sky. He chuckled to himself as he continued to walk.

_Darn. When someone says that in the movies, it always starts raining._ His foot slipped into a hole, sending the teen to the ground. He could not manage to stand again. _So after all this, I get taken out be dehydration? What a rip-off._

The last thought before he fell unconscious was of apologies to Glade, and despair that he would not be able to save her.

...

*splash*

…

*splash*

"Mmm…"

*splash*

"Uhh…what…?" Sam's eyes fluttered open. His face was wet. As his vision cleared, Sam saw something that made his heart leap: water. The teen crawled forward and plunged his head into the clear, cool stream. He took in a few mouthfuls of water, smiling in relief as the liquid ran down his parched throat. Soon, he had to pull his head out of the stream to breath. As the water ran down his face, Sam heard a voice behind him.

"Oh good, you are awake. I was worried for a moment that I had been too late."

Sam was so surprised that he almost fell into the stream. He turned around quickly and gawked at the source of the voice. Standing behind him was a snow-white stag. Sapphire eyes seemed to stare directly into Sam's soul as the stag look down at him in concern. "Are you alright?"

Sam nodded. "Um, yes, I am. Did you…save me?"

"I did," the stag responded. "I found you collapsed in the Bad Lands. I have a particular fondness for rabbits, so I could not sit idly by while one suffered."

_Well __**that's**__ ironic_, Sam thought with a chuckle. "Well, thank you," he said out loud. "I really owe you; I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up."

"You would have died, I imagine. What would a rabbit be doing out there all alone?"

Sam hesitated before deciding there would be nothing wrong with telling the stag his story. "I'm going to save a…friend. She was taken by something evil, and I'm going to save her. I was following the path when I-" Sam froze. He sprang to his feet and looked around furiously. Alice's path was nowhere to be seen, and Sam did not recognize the area at all. He had lost the path! "Hey, thank you very much for saving me, but do you think you can take me back to where you found me? I was following a trail you see, and-"

"If you insist." The stag went to his knees. "You can climb aboard, if you like. I can travel much faster than even the fastest rabbit, and from what you tell me, time is of the essence."

Sam was about to object, but then reconsidered. _He's right; the quicker I get there, the better. It's a little weird, but what do I have to lose_? "Alright," he said out loud. "Thank you." Sam crawled on the stag's back and positioned himself between his shoulder blades. "Okay, I'm on."

The stag stood and, making sure Sam was secure, began to run. Sam looked around, and saw that the area they were in was desolate compared to the Watership Down area. Thin, saggy trees grew sparsely among short, brown grass and weeds. As the pair traveled, the stag spoke once more. "Again, I must caution you that attempting this alone sounds very risky. You go to face a very powerful opponent. I am certain that if you waited for your companions to join you, you would still make it in time."

"I can't do that," Sam said hesitantly. "Too many of my friends have gotten hurt because of me already. This…is my fight. I'm the only one that can win, and anyone else nearby would only be in danger. I've been prepared to do this alone since day one."

With a patient sigh, the stag changed tactics. "Perhaps you are right. If your friends are as useless as you make them out to be, then it would be better for you to go alone."

"I didn't mean it like tha-"

"I imagine it must have been very difficult for you so far, trying to fight off these forces all on your own while your so called friends got in your way."

Sam was beginning to get annoyed. "That's hardly the case; they've helped me a lot!"

"You realize they are not here, correct? You do not have to try and justify their actions any longer. I believe you to be an intelligent rabbit, certainly smart enough to leave those that would hinder your actions. That you did not allow them to come with you, leads me to believe they are not **worth** bringing."

"That's enough!" Sam yelled, causing the stag to stop. Sam jumped off his back and looked the large animal in the eyes. "You don't know my friends. You have no right to say **anything** about them after everything they've done for me. They gave me a home when they could have easily killed me on the spot, they became like a family to me when they had every reason to distrust me, and they've saved my life more times than I can count. I would do anything for them…" Sam sighed and spoke with less fire, "and that's why I couldn't let them come. Of **course** they would have been able to help me. I'm not stupid, I know the Black Rabbit won't be alone. Besides Alice, who knows how many rabbits he has under his control? And he'll throw every one of them in my way. But I can handle it. I'm strong in ways they aren't. I just…I would rather take the risk of dying by going in solo, rather than let anything happen to them." He looked up to see the stag smiling. "Listen, if you don't want to give me a ride anymore, I understand. If you could just point me in the right direction, I would be grateful."

"That won't be necessary," the stag replied. "Look."

Sam turned around and grimaced. Maybe a mile away from where they stood was a factory. Mountains of trash and debris surrounded the building itself. Atop the dingy, metal structure sat a trio of smoke stacks, all spewing black smoke. The entire area was covered in a rain of ash. Sam had never seen a location more befitting of the Black Rabbit's lair. "Oh my…"

"**That** is where you enemy lies," the stag said, ignoring the awestruck teen. "And this is as far as I can go. I regret your decision to undertake this battle alone, but I cannot stop you. Just remember: although you may believe no one is there to help you, I will always be with you."

"Wait, but you just said-" When Sam turned around, the stag was gone. He was alone. _What in the world…_ Sam looked all around, but there was no sign of any other living being aside from himself. With a shake of his head, Sam turned back to the factory. _Well, I guess this is it. Don't worry, Glade, I'm coming._

A/N: The next chapter may be a long time coming. I have zero free time for the next ten days or so, and I'm maybe 500 words into the chapter. Sorry for the inevitable wait...


	35. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Sam's nose wrinkled in disgust as a cloud of smog hit his face as he scouted the edge of Darkhaven. The "warren" seemed to center on the factory, with connecting valleys and crevasses radiating outwards, all filled with all kinds of trash and debris. The factory was still a little over a quarter mile away, but Sam could see many rabbits standing on the high areas between the valleys. _Sentries,_ the teen thought. The rabbits stood side by side without speaking, almost like robots. They were arranged in a perfect grid so that there was no way to traverse the high ground without being seen. Sam's only hope was to keep to the cover of the valleys and hope to avoid any patrols.

The teen walked down the path in front of him, taking him into the first valley. He quickly ducked into a pile of tires as a pair of rabbits hopped by. Their unblinking eyes showed no signs that they has seen him. "Poor things," he said quietly to himself. "I wonder if there's anything of themselves left in there?" Shaking his head to clear the negative thoughts away, Sam continued toward the factory.

The next valley was deserted, save for a large pile of rusting refrigerators with their parts ripped out. Sam was able to get through the area without running into any other patrols, and was quickly into the next area. Soon, he came to a stop. In front of him was a straight path to the next valley, lined by piles of scrap metal. The path itself was clear, but there were two sentries on the ground level. With no other valleys accessible from his level, and the high ground closely guarded, the teen knew he had no choice but to get passed the guards.

Sam climbed onto the pile of junk, making sure he was not seen. He slowly made his way to the other end of the valley, making as little noise as he could while simultaneously hiding from the sentries above. When he got close to the end, he poked his head around a corner, and saw the two sentries standing exactly where they had when he began. Thinking quickly, the teen changed to his human form and grabbed a small chunk of metal pipe. He threw it away from himself and the passage, hoping to draw the sentries into investigating. The rabbits' ears twitched toward the sound as one, but they did not move. Sam groaned in annoyance. He tried throwing a few more items, one of which disrupted a metal barrel. The large container rolled down the hill and crashed into the middle of the path. Sam grimaced as the noise echoed throughout the area.

_I've got to get past them_, the teen thought urgently. _If I stay here any longer, I'm going to have the entire Darkhaven owsla coming down on me._ Sighing, Sam rose from his hiding place. The sentries turned as one to face him, but Sam had already fired an energy ball at the one in front. It hit him in the chest and threw him backwards into his companion. They collapsed into a pile as Sam turned back to his rabbit form and ran through the passage. He looked back to be sure the rabbits were not following him, when he ran into something hard and furry. A line of four rabbits was blocking his way, with more gathering behind them. Sam swore as the rabbits began to advance. _I'll have to find another way arou-damn it!_ Sam tried to run back the way he had come, but he found more rabbits that way too.

Sam turned back to his human form and readied a Frith Beam, but he was tackled from behind. The teen had just enough time to blindly fire the beam before a kick to the side of his face made him lose consciousness.

* * *

Sam's eyes flickered open some time later. The first thing he saw was the factory. It was much closer than he had remembered it being when he was attacked. The next thing he noticed was that he was seeing the factory through a window frame, lined with broken pieces of glass. A quick look at his surroundings showed Sam that he was in a hollowed out car. The seats had all been torn out, as had the machinery in the dash board, leaving Sam to lie on the partially-carpeted floor. The car itself was buried under a pile of other automobiles, leaving all the windows darkened except for the back window, which faced the factory. Sam climbed slowly toward the open window, only to have a clawed hind leg meet the side of his face as soon as he poked his head out of the car. The blow made him fall back down to the front, where a sharp pain erupted from the back of his shoulder.

A rabbit emerged in the opening. "Stay where you are. Mistress Alice will be with you soon." Although his voice was still and emotionless, it lacked the power that Woundwort's or Alice's had. This rabbit was clearly just a pawn.

The teen reached behind him and pulled a long shard of glass out of his shoulder, wincing as he felt blood trickle down his back. "Where am I?" he asked angrily. "Where's Glade?"

The nameless rabbit stared at him for a long moment before responding. "Any and all questions will be directed to Mistress Alice." He quickly ducked his head out of the way as Sam sent a Frith Beam screaming through the broken window. "Use of force is strongly discouraged," he yelled, already out of sight. "Any further attempts at violence will be met with crushing retaliation, as well as the slow torture and eventual recruitment of your companion." With that, the rabbit was silent.

Although seething in frustration, Sam took the time to examine his prison more thoroughly. Each of the doors to the car was rusted shut. The two front doors had cranks to open the windows, but both were enclosed by other scrap metal. Sam could see no way out. _I wonder if I can make fire hot enough to cut through the car metal,_ he wondered idly to himself.

"Oh Sammy-boy! Are you down there?"

Sam groaned. _Just what I needed._ "Where is Glade?" he shouted angrily up the hole. "I swear to Frith, if you hurt her…"

Alice appeared in the opening, clutching an unconscious rabbit to her chest. "Keep your knickers on, she's right here." Although her fur looked matted and dirty, Glade appeared unharmed. "You kept your end of the bargain, and I kept mine. I'm **very** honorable, Sammy-boy, why would you think otherwise?"

"Maybe because you're an evil, manipulative bitch?"

In a flash, Alice was holding her jagged sword to Glade's throat. She glared at Sam. "I think you need to watch your mouth. The deal was that she would be safe until you got here, but now that you **are** here, all bets are off. She is only useful to me as a means to keep you in line, so you better behave. Do you think you could fight against her if she was on our side?" Sam was silent. "I thought not. So here's the deal: you have two days to join our side, and let Master have you. In return, this doe and your friends will be left alone. If you **don't** take our offer, Master will take you for our side **anyway**, and your friends' lives will be forfeit."

Sam's breath caught in his throat. _What do I do? There's no way Hazel and the others will be able to defeat the Black Rabbit on their own…right?_ Sam sighed. _I have to give them the best chance I can. I'm sure that, together, Bigwig, Holly, and Campion can beat me._ "…Fine."

Alice's eyes widened in surprise. "I…what did you say?"

"I said fine!" Sam snapped. The teen then lowered his head, unable to stand looking into Alice's eyes. "I really screwed this up, coming here alone. Bigwig wouldn't have gotten caught. Fiver could have seen the danger coming. Even Hawkbit or Dandelion would have been able to have my back in that fight. The least I can do for them now is to keep you out of their hair for a while longer."

Alice dropped Glade to ground with a sneer. "Well good, I'm glad you see it that way. You climb up here. Slowly. I'll give you a little cut, and then we wait. In about 30 hours, you'll be ours. Now come on!" Sam's eyes closed in shame as he began to climb. His fingers reached the top edge of the car. "That's far enough," Alice said. She reached down and placed the edge of her sword against Sam's cheek. "This'll only hurt for a second."

Suddenly, Alice's legs were kicked from under her, sending the girl off the car. Before Sam could react, Glade crawled to the opening and glared at him. "Don't you **dare** give up, Sam. I can't believe you would surrender that easily, after all we've fought for!"

"What else can I do?" Sam asked desperately. "You heard Alice: she's going to kill you all if I don't give myself up."

"She's lying, Sam. The worst thing you can do is give up on your friends. They believe in you. **I** believe in you. Don't quit on us now."

Sam smiled and set his hand gently on Glade's shoulder. "I suppose I can't say no to that. But what about you? Are you okay?"

Glade nuzzled his arm tenderly. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. You just have to-" She suddenly let out a cry of pain as a plume of dark fire hit her from the side, sending her out of Sam's vision.

"Glade!" Sam was about to climb up after her when Alice appeared again.

"**Two days, Sam. You have two days to make a choice, or else the slaughter begins.**"

Alice kicked Sam hard in the face, causing him to fall to the bottom of the car once again. The last thing Sam heard before his world faded to black was Glade's screams of pain.

* * *

It was night time before Sam awoke again. As he sat up, he gingerly felt his face where Alice had kicked him. It was warm, and very tender to the touch. He got slowly to his feet and looked upwards outside the window. The factory was still looming overhead, although the smoke from earlier appeared to have stopped.

"Glade!" he shouted desperately, "are you out there?"

The same monotone rabbit from before poked his head through the opening. "Your companion is with Mistress Alice. Have you made your decision?" The rabbit pulled his head back as Sam shot a huge cloud of fire through the opening, blowing away any remaining glass and causing the metal to melt slightly. He appeared again, unfazed by Sam's savage attack. "Your refusal is acknowledged. You still have thirty-eight hours, twelve minutes, and forty-eight seconds to make your choice."

Sam snorted in amusement. "So the Black Rabbit taught you to count? Neat trick."

"Master has given us more than you can imagine. He will share his gifts with you as well, if you only give yourself to him."

"But think about what he asks in return," Sam pleaded. "He takes away everything you **are**! Think about those numbers you just said; do you even understand what they mean?"

The rabbit closed his eyes and did not answer. When his eyes opened again, they were pitch black. "**Your words ring hollow, Messenger. You seek to appeal to this rabbit's sense of…humanity, for lack of a better word, but you toil in vain. Anything in here that could be reasoned with has long since died.**"

"You…" Sam growled, barely able to contain his anger. He began to build up energy for a Frith Beam when the Black Rabbit interrupted.

"**Why waste your energy? You could not hit my slaves before, why could you hit them under my direct control?" **The rabbit closed its eyes for a moment while an annoyed look crossed its face."**It appears I have a few loose ends to tie up. I suggest you make your decision quickly, Messenger.**" With that, the darkness faded from the rabbit's eyes. It pulled its head away, leaving Sam alone again.

The rest of the night went without issue, and Sam managed to get a few uninterrupted hours of sleep. A rumbling in the teen's stomach woke him just as the sun was beginning to peak over the horizon. The teen slowly got to his feet and clutched his aching stomach. He had not had a chance to eat since meeting the stag, and that was more than a day ago. Sam's thoughts were interrupted as he heard a tapping to his side. Looking towards the source of the sound, Sam was surprised to see a doe scratching at the window.

_I think that's the first doe I've seen here_, Sam thought. _Why would the Black Rabbit send her down here instead of just talking from the hole like everyone else?_ Confident in his abilities to deal with one rabbit if she proved to be hostile, Sam turned to his human form and turned the crank to lower the window. The doe backed away nervously as the window sank completely into the door. With the window out of the way, Sam was able to get a clear look at her. Her fir was dirty and matted, but appeared to be dark brown. The doe was lanky, and rather thin.

"You…really do exist."

Sam was surprised at the strength of the voice housed in such a slender body. He was even more surprised at the doe's apparent free will. "You're not a slave of the Black Rabbit?" She shook her head while still maintaining a cautious distance. Sam sighed in relief. "That's great news. I'm Sam, sometimes known as Sunflower. What's your name?"

"I am Spartina, and I know of you, Messenger. Come with me, quickly."

She immediately turned and moved down a passage that was hidden in the darkness. Sam cast a quick glance at the opening above him before following Spartina. The doe led the way through a makeshift tunnel weaved in and out of numerous cars with varying degrees of rust. The tunnel eventually led into the ground, away from the pile of machinery.

"What are these tunnels?" Sam asked as he followed Spartina deeper. The tunnel was the same style as the burrows at Watership Down. "Did you make all these?"

"Quiet," Spartina said, cocking her ears to listen. Sam listened, but did not hear anything. He was about to ask what Spartina was listening for when she continued in a whisper, "Keep quiet, this place is not safe. You can ask your questions in a moment." Although he could not hear anything, Sam nodded silently.

The pair continued following the tunnel deeper and deeper into the earth. Eventually, they came to a small cave, about the size of one of the burrows back on Watership Down. In the burrow was a collection of fabric, presumably ripped from the various cars around Darkhaven, that functioned as bedding. In the corner there was a small stockpile of vegetables and others plants. "It's safe. The Black Rabbit can't get us here. You can talk now."

"I don't even know where to begin," Sam said in awe. "I guess…thank you, for breaking me out. I'm going to be honest: I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up, Spartina."

"You would have succumbed to the Black Rabbit, I imagine," she replied. "You're only lucky I had to replenish my food supply, or I might not have heard the chatter about you in time."

Now Sam was curious. "What chatter? The rabbits in this place don't talk to each other at all. And how did you find me anyway? What's up with these tunnels of yours? **How** are you living here, but not under the Black Rabbit's control? I'm grateful to you for helping me, but you can't blame me for being a little suspicious."

Spartina stared at Sam appraisingly before she replied. "No, I can't. Suspicion is what has kept me alive in this place." She gestured to the pile of food. "Eat. You're going to need your strength."

"But don't you-"

"I'll be fine," she said forcefully. "Eat." Sam examined the food, but could not find anything noticeably wrong with it. While he ate, Spartina talked.

"It was…close to two seasons ago, just at the end of winter, when Darkhaven attacked my warren. They came at night. My owsla was overwhelmed before I knew what had happened. I woke to the sounds of fighting in my warren. And the screams of my friends as the owsla was slaughtered." Spartina closed her eyes at the painful memory. "There was a bolt hole in my burrow; my captain of owsla insisted. I was able to get in there and collapse the entrance before the Darkhaveners got to me. I stayed there for the rest of the attack, listening to them round up my rabbits, and take them. By the time I dug my way out, everyone was either gone, or dead."

"I'm so sorry," Sam said with pain in his voice. "If only I'd-"

Spartina cut him off with a glare. "You didn't, though. You weren't around, and we had to face them alone."

Sam was startled at the accusation in her voice. "Spartina, I'm sorry. I didn't know that you were being attacked like that. You have to believe me, I would have come to help if I had known."

The doe sighed. "I know," she said with resignation. "Just…keep eating. And don't interrupt again. This is hard enough to tell." Sam nodded as she continued with her story.

"I followed them, after I got out of the warren. They were easy to track, but no matter how fast I ran, I couldn't manage to catch up to them. It was only later that I learned about the Black Rabbit's influence over them. The Darkhaven rabbits were able to travel without rest, and they killed any of my rabbits that could not keep the pace. I followed them to this area, but they had already gone passed the sentries, so I had to stop. It took me three days to find a hole in their guard so I could get in. By that time…the Black Rabbit already had everyone that made it under his control. The does he captured were turned into breeders, birthing rabbits for his army. The bucks went straight to owsla. I managed to catch one of the does of my warren alone, and I tried to talk to her. I was hoping that I might be able to free her, but she attacked me. I escaped, but I…had to kill her to do it."

Spartina's eyes were glistening with tears, but she managed to keep speaking. "After that, I ran. Just found a pile of those things out there, and hid. I found a tunnel like the one we came through, and that led me here. It was that first night that I heard him. The Black Rabbit attacked my mind, and tried to take me like all the others. In my sorrow, I didn't think I would be able to resist him, but his attack waned over time. That's one of the reasons I'm still here. The Black Rabbit knows where I am at all times, but apparently he doesn't think I'm worth dealing with. But at the same time, he won't let me escape. Any time I try and leave, I find hrair rabbits waiting outside my escape route. So I've been here. Disrupting as much as I can, and stealing their food to survive." Spartina waited for Sam to say something, but he just sat there. She sighed. "You can talk now."

There were a number of questions running through Sam's head, but one issue in particular grabbed his attention. "You said that the Black Rabbit has tried to attack you before, but you fought him off? How did you resist him?"

She chuckled sadly. "I never said I resisted him, I just said his attack wore off. You **can't** escape him here. This is his domain; he's like a fog that permanently hangs over this area. He's been in my head since the first day. That's what I meant when I said I heard chatter about you. I hear it when he gives orders to his troops. I just…managed to keep him at bay. Somehow."

Sam got to his feet. "Well we're going to have to do something about that, aren't we?"

Spartina backed away as Sam walked closer. "What are you doing? Get away from me!"

"Calm down, Spartina," Sam said, his hands glowing yellow. "I know a way to free you from the Black Rabbit without hurting you. You just have to trust me." Seeing the doe freeze, but not make any attempt to escape, Sam closed on her. He pressed his hands gently against her temples and focused. Sam felt something pushing against the energy flowing into Spartina, but it was no match for the power of Frith.

Spartina took in a gasping breath as small shudders wracked her body. When the shaking died down, the doe shook her head and looked at Sam in amazement. "You…you really did it. I can't feel the Black Rabbit anymore!"

Sam lowered his hands and smiled. "It's not a problem. I'm pretty used to-"

He was cut off as Spartina threw her front paws around him in a tight hug. "Thank you," she said, crying openly. "Thank you so much." Her eyes snapped open as she realized what she was doing. Spartina backed away from Sam quickly and cleared her throat. "That…didn't happen."

"Of course not," Sam said with a chuckle. "You should be fine from now on. We had some problems with the Black Rabbit invading minds back on Watership Down, but I was able to protect everyone the same way I protected you. The Black Rabbit won't be able to get in your head anymore."

"That's perfect," Spartina replied with an odd look in her eyes. "I was going to just point you on your way, and then use the distraction of your attack to escape. But if I'm immune to the Black Rabbit's possession…"

Sam held up a hand to stop her. "I'm grateful for everything you've done for me, Spartina, but I think I'd still prefer it if you left. The reason I came here on my own is because I didn't want any of my friends to get hurt. And that hasn't changed. You've been here long enough; you've more than earned your freedom."

"But on the other paw, I'm now in the unique position of being able to get revenge for the hell the Black Rabbit has put me through these past few seasons. I can finally make up for all the friends I had to watch die. Either you take me with you, or I'm not showing you the safe route there."

Sam ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "You realize this will be impossibly dangerous, right?" Spartina nodded. "The Black Rabbit will likely put everything he has in my way." She nodded again. Sam sighed. "Fine. I guess I don't really have a choice. If I were to get caught again, I don't think the Black Rabbit would give me another chance to escape. Lead the way."

Spartina nodded and turned down one of the tunnels, Sam following behind her. As they walked, the dirt floor gave way to stone. Sam figured they were walking through a discharge pipe, although it appeared to be out of use. The pair walked in silence for a while, before sunlight began to intrude upon the darkness of the run. Soon, they emerged from the pipe, about fifty yards away from the factory. The path was lined with piles of tires, but was otherwise clear.

When she saw this, Spartina stopped and looked at the path with suspicion. "Something isn't right here," she said. "The Black Rabbit always has this route guarded."

Sam moved in front of her and continued down the path. "He's trying to draw me in. You can still go back. This isn't going to be pretty."

"I told you already," Spartina said, catching up to Sam, "I'm coming."

"Are you really this stupid?" Sam and Spartina froze as Alice stepped onto the path. The pair looked behind them as a group of large rabbits jumped down from the top of the pipe, blocking off their escape route. "You were pretty safe in those tunnels, Sammy-boy. We could have packed them full of our rabbits, all aiming to kill you. But there would only be room for…three at a time to fight you? Now you and I both know you could fight off groups of three rabbits all day long, but now you're out here." Alice raised her arms in the air and rabbits began to emerge from the tires surrounding the path. "You're out in the open, and we can bring our entire owsla down on you."

Sam stood back to back with Spartina. Just at a glance, he counted at least two hundred rabbits, consisting of bucks, does, and even some kittens. He sighed. "Still glad you came?" he asked Spartina.

"Shut up," she growled back.

"Where's Glade?" Sam shouted to Alice.

A large rabbit approached Alice from off the path. He carried an unconscious Glade on his back, and threw her roughly to the ground at Alice's feet, before joining the others around Spartina and Sam. "She's still here. Happy? But really now, shouldn't you be worried about the couple hundred rabbits standing around you?" Alice yawned and took a seat on the ground. "Tell you what, get through them, **then** we'll talk."

"Wonderful," Sam said with a sigh. "Got any plans, Spartina?" No answer. "Spartina?" Sam looked behind him and saw the doe on the ground, shaking her head in pain. The teen knelt down and set his hand on her neck, hoping to calm her down. She was very warm to the touch.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. They were pure white. She spoke in a soft, but firm voice. "My children are crying. Their souls cry out to me in pain, but they are beyond my reach. Do your duty, Messenger. Remove these bastardizations of life from their misery." With that, she collapsed.

Sam stood and looked at all the rabbits around him. Some were strong bucks that were obviously part of the owsla, does in various degrees of pregnancy, and there were even kittens younger than the junior owsla. All of them were glaring at Sam with murder in their eyes. _Do I really have to kill all these rabbits?_ Sam wondered in disbelief. Tears began building in Sam's eyes. _This isn't fair! They didn't do anything wrong!_ Sam's eyes drifted over to Alice. And Glade. Seeing her lying there, Sam's resolve hardened. _I'll save you, Glade_, Sam thought as his hands began to glow, _I promised_. Sam pushed, and a Frith Beam erupted from his palms. With a grunt of effort, Sam began to turn in a circle, keeping the beam flowing from his hands. It shot into the crowd of rabbits, cutting through them effortlessly. Sam completed his circle, and sank to the ground in exhaustion. When he looked around, where before there were rabbits, sat only piles of dust.

"I'm sorry," Sam said as he slowly got to his feet. "I'm so very sorry. I'll avenge you, I swear." He looked over to Alice, who was rising out of a defensive stance, having blocked Sam's Frith Beam.

"That was pretty impressive," Alice said, sweeping some dust off of her shoulder. "Hell, I think you've killed more rabbits than **I** have with that move. And that's saying something." She smirked as she began walking closer towards Sam. "I've **very** proud of-" She broke off to dodge the green energy ball Sam flung at her.

"Shut up," Sam said quietly. "I…don't want to listen to your voice anymore. I'm sorry, but I'm going to kill you."

Just then, Sam heard coughing behind him. He looked over to see Spartina holding a paw to her head as she slowly got to her feet. "Why should you feel sorry about killing that thing," Spartina said with hatred in her voice. "It's not like it's real."

Sam was taken aback. "I…don't understand. What do you mean?"

Spartina glared at Alice. "You didn't think she was a **real** human, did you? The Black Rabbit created her to fight you. I overheard it while the Black Rabbit was trying to break into my mind."

Sam slowly turned back to Alice, who simply shrugged. "**You're** the one who thought I was real. I just didn't see any reason to set you straight." She began to laugh. "You should have seen yourself: 'oh no, I have to kill a little girl, boo hoo!' Priceless." Alice's smirk turned to confusion as Sam began to laugh. For once, she appeared speechless. "That's…not the reaction I was expecting."

"That's because you don't get it," Sam said, trying to catch his breath. "This whole time, I've been worried about killing you. This actually kept me up at night. But now I learn that you're not a real person? That there's **no** reason to keep you alive? That's the best news I've heard all day! And believe you me," Sam stood, his hands glowing green, "I've been ready for this for a **long** time." His hands glowed brighter. "You know, I had a lot of time while I was walking here, and after **Vervain** beat me, I figured I needed to find a new fighting style. Going weaponless wasn't really doing it for me, so I figured **this** little trick out." Sam threw his arms out to his sides, and pushed his energy. A sword formed in each hand, made entirely out of energy.

"Cool," Alice replied. She brought her own sword up and pointed it at Sam. "This will be fun."

Without further warning, Alice charged at Sam. She swiped at Sam's face, but blocked with one of his swords. He stabbed with the other one, and caught Alice in the shoulder. She staggered, and Sam followed by hitting the side of her face with the hilt of his sword. Alice took a blind slash at Sam. He dodged, and sent a stream of fire down his sword at her.

Alice managed to dodge most of the fire by jumping backwards. "How are you so strong?" she asked. "You've never been able to keep up with me before."

"I've held back before," Sam replied, moving closer to her. "I didn't want to kill an innocent girl, no matter what she had done. But now that I know you're just a soulless **thing**, I have no more reason to try at save you." Sam slashed at Alice, who blocked the blow with his sword. The teen brought his other sword around and hit Alice's hand, knocking her sword away. Banishing his swords, Sam punched Alice in the face, sending her flying into a pile of tires. "I've been waiting for this for a long time. For everything you've done to me, and to my friends, it's time to pay. This is for the junior owsla, and Scree." Each name was accompanied by another punch to the face, all powered by his green power. "And this one is for Strawberry, and Fiver, and Silverweed, and Hazel and Bigwig." At this point, Alice's face was black and blue, and she could barely stand. He summoned one of his swords again. "And this one? This is for Glade." With no further warning, he stabbed Alice through the stomach, and pumped his Frith Beam through the sword. Her face contorted into a mask of agony as white tendrils worked their way up her body. With a scream of pain, Alice disintegrated.

Sam dropped to his knees. _Finally. She's __**finally**__ gone. Now I just have one last…Glade!_ Suddenly remembering, Sam ran over to his friend. She was still unconscious, and there was a large patch of her fir that was burned from Alice's fire attack, but she appeared to be healthy otherwise. A quick pass with his Frith Beam relieved any fears that she was possessed. Sam shook her shoulder, but the doe was unresponsive.

Spartina walked up to the pair. "The Black Rabbit put her to sleep, most likely. I've seen him do it to other prisoners. It's nothing harmful; she'll wake up a few days after it happens. Which I imagine would be pretty soon." The doe shook on her legs. "Anyway, we aren't done here. There's still the Black Rabbit left."

"I know," Sam said with a sigh. "But Spartina, I want you to take Glade and go." Seeing the doe about to interrupt, Sam continued quickly, "Whatever happened to you back there really weakened you. Look at yourself, you're having a hard time walking, and you expect to be able to go toe to toe with the Black Rabbit? No way. Please, Spartina, I don't want you or Glade to get hurt."

Spartina glared at Sam, but she did not answer. She knew he was right. "If I do this, you better **promise** me you'll win. I want revenge for my warren."

"I'll do all I can," Sam reassured. "I intend to make him pay for all the innocents he has hurt. Please, take Glade and go back to Watership Down." He picked Glade up and laid her across Spartina's back. "Leave Darkhaven, and follow the path of dead plants. That will take you back to Watership Down. Just tell the rabbits there that I sent you, and you should have no problem getting in. Be careful."

She gave Sam a long look. "Thank you, Messenger, for everything. When I first heard about you, I wasn't sure a human would be able to do any good. But…I can see it now. I can really see you winning this. Good luck." With that, she turned and began walking slowly away from the factory.

Sam sighed and turned back to the factory. _Thanks, Spartina, I think I'm going to need it._

A/N: I'm SO sorry I haven't updated in so long! But on the plus side, the rest of chapters from here until the end of the story are done and in the hands of my beta reader, so it should be relatively fast from here on out. While she is doing that, I will be working on making the entire story flow better. The observant among you may realize that some of the beginning chapters have gotten actual names. That will be a way to track my progress. By the time the last chapter is up, the story will be complete!

Thanks everyone!


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The factory was imposing, to say the least. The path Sam followed led to an abandoned loading dock. The entrance was old and rusty, and the door was completely missing. Although parts of the factory were still in use, this warehouse was long since abandoned. Even though it was daylight, Sam could barely see past the door. An impenetrable wall of darkness blocked the way.

"Well, this is delightful," Sam said with a sigh. With nothing else to do, he entered the warehouse. The light of the outside drained away, leaving an inky blackness inside. Although it was dark, Sam was able to make out rusty piles of junk. The center of the floor was taken up by an old, broken down conveyer belt with numerous mechanical arms in various states of disrepair. There were six, thick metal beams on either side of the warehouse. They were incredibly rusted, and barely looked strong enough to bear the weight of the ceiling. But what really caught Sam's attention was what lay in the back of the loading dock. A number of metal sheets were welded together in the shape of a giant throne. Sitting atop the throne was the blackest rabbit Sam had ever seen. He was like a black hole, even in the already dark room.

The Black Rabbit looked at Sam. "**Messenger. Finally we meet face to face. It's a pleasure.**"

"I can't say I agree," Sam replied, charging a Frith Beam in each hand.

"**Oh my, so violent. We've just met and already you want to fight? Tsk tsk, you humans have no manners.**"

"With all that you've done, you're the last one to talk about manners," Sam shot back.

The Black Rabbit chuckled darkly. "**Well, I suppose I cannot disagree with that**." He hopped down from his throne. The darkness in the room seemed to shift around him as he approached Sam. "**What is the rush? Most things in life don't run towards death. Trust me, it's my department**."

"Most things aren't confident they'll **beat** death." Sam's hands glowed brighter, piercing the darkness in the room, but stopping short of the Black Rabbit himself.

The Black Rabbit responded in a serious voice, all joking forgotten. "**Then you are foolish**.** None on this plane can truly defeat me. I have been cast back into the pit too many times in the past, now I'm here to stay. Prepare yourself, Messenger.**"

With no further warning, he lifted a paw and sent a dark wave of energy at Sam. It struck the teen across the torso and threw him back, leaving a painful burn on his stomach but leaving his clothes unharmed. Sam's head struck the side of the conveyer belt. Before he could react, he felt an icy paw press against his throat. The Black Rabbit's dark chuckle filled Sam's ears. "**Is THIS how you plan on defeating me? Pathetic.**" He hooked his claws on Sam's shirt and began to rise off the ground, carrying the teen with him. Thinking quickly, Sam charged his green power and punched the Black Rabbit in the stomach. He grunted and dropped Sam onto the conveyer belt.

"**Oh good, there IS some fight in you.**" With a flick of the Black Rabbit's paw, the dilapidated machinery groaned to life. The Black Rabbit sent another wave of energy at Sam, pinning him to the belt with a dark cloud. It began to move, dragging the teen towards the rusty arms. With a grunt, Sam charged Frith Beams in his hands. A loud, tearing noise echoed through the warehouse as the cloud dispersed. Sam rolled to the side, just as a sharp arm slammed onto the belt where his head had been. In one move, the teen rolled off the conveyer belt and threw an energy ball at the Black Rabbit. He was thrown out of the air and crashed into the thrown, destroying it.

Sam landed hard on the floor. _This can't go on,_ he thought desperately, putting a hesitant hand to his bruised throat. _He's just too strong, I can't hope to take him on directly like this. There must be some other way to…_ A look around the warehouse gave him an idea. _Hey yeah, that could work! _Sam ran to hide behind one of the support pillars as the Black Rabbit burst from the pile of metal where he had landed.

"**My throne!**" Sam winced as the Black Rabbit's eyes began to glow red. "**Messenger, you and everyone you know will die in agony!**" The metal began to blacken, and rose into the air. "**Now die!**"

Small chunks of metal began to break off from the sheets and flew at Sam. The teen barely had time to duck behind a pillar as shards of metal embedded themselves in the ground beside him. A bit of preparation, and Sam was ready to get to the next pillar. Somehow. Readying his fire power, Sam sprang from behind the pole. The Black Rabbit unleashed another storm of shards, only to have them knocked away by a wave of fire. A stray shard burst through the flames, and embedded itself in Sam's thigh. Limping, the teen made it to the next pillar. He grimaced as he tried to get the shard out of his leg, but it was dug in too deep. It would have to stay for now.

"Well this is going wonderfully," Sam said sarcastically. Looking around the pillar, he saw he still had two others that he had to set up. They were the ones along the back wall, closest to where the Black Rabbit's throne used to be. The Black Rabbit himself floated in the air along the back wall, over what used to be his throne. Sam shook his head. _The first one will be easy._ Sam peeked around at the pillar closest to him. It was close enough to handle from where he was, and with a quick flick of his hand, it was done. Unfortunately, the Black Rabbit floated between Sam and the fourth pillar. _It's too far to throw from here,_ Sam realized desperately, _and there's no way I could make a run for it with this thing in my leg_. _I have to think of a way to get around-_ Sam froze as he looked around the pillar again, and the Black Rabbit was gone. "Where did he…?"

"**Boo!**"

Sam was suddenly struck from behind. The blow was so hard that it sent the teen flying across the warehouse. He landed with harsh cracking sound, and skidded along the floor. Sam felt a sharp pain in his side as he rolled to a stop. His breathing was labored, possibly indicating a broken rib. Looking up, Sam saw he was lying right next to the fourth pillar. _Perfect!_ The teen worked quickly, and was just able to finish his preparations before he felt himself be lifted off the ground. In a moment, he was face to face with the Black Rabbit.

"**This was moderately amusing, Messenger, but you try my patience. I am done playing with you. First, you will be mine. Then, I will use you to kill all your little friends. Sounds fun, does it not?**"

Although the force of the Black Rabbit holding him up made it hard to breath, Sam managed to gasp an answer. "Actually…I like my plan…better!" He brought his arms up and blasted the Black Rabbit point blank with a two-handed Frith Beam. The beam struck him in the chest and sent him flying backwards, deeper into the warehouse. Sam landed hard on the ground. The teen shakily got to his feet and began to run towards the warehouse entrance.

*click*

Sam snapped his fingers, and the warehouse burst into flame. Unbeknownst to the Black Rabbit, Sam had been planting grenades at the bases of all the pillars in the warehouse. The pillars were severely rusted, and the explosive force was more than enough to destroy them. The frame of the warehouse held for a moment before it cracked, bringing tons of metal down onto the Black Rabbit. Sam ran as far as he could with the metal shard in his leg and his injured rib, and he hit the ground as the warehouse collapsed. He covered his head as bits and pieces of metal flew through the air. In a few moments, it was over, and Sam lifted his head. He turned, and saw the destruction that used to be the warehouse. Thousands of pounds of jagged metal lay in a dusty pile, with the Black Rabbit underneath it all.

"I…I won," Sam said in disbelief. "I really won." The teen slowly stood and stared at the destroyed warehouse. Then, he began to look around and to the sky. "But I'm…still here? I thought I would be taken away once I have finished this." No one answered his question; Darkhaven was completely silent. Sam smiled. "Well, I guess I'll go back to the down, then." He turned to leave. "I can't wait to see the looks on everyone's faces. They're going to be **so**-" He froze when he heard the sound of the metal behind him shifting. Sam turned and watched with growing horror as a large section of the warehouse collapsed in on itself, as it if were melting. A few moments later, a shaky, black paw appeared.

The Black Rabbit pulled himself out from the wreckage.

His body was littered with numerous, deep gashes, and his left hind leg was clearly broken. As the Black Rabbit tried to pull himself free, he lost his footing, and fell down the large hill of metal, landing hard on the ground in front of Sam.

The teen was on him in an instant. "You just don't want to die, do you?" Sam said, a yellow, glowing hand pressed against the Black Rabbit's throat. "How the hell did you live through that?"

The Black Rabbit coughed up a small amount of blood and spat it on the ground. "**My plans**…**are not yet complete, Messenger.**"

"You're done," Sam replied, grasping his throat tighter. "There's no way you can win now. I doubt you can even stand up, let alone get past me. Give up."

"**You think it's that easy, human? Please. Let me tell what will happen: I will take you for my own, and I will use you to kill your friends.**" Sam punched the Black Rabbit in the face, but he simply chuckled. "**The bucks will die. All of them. The does will be kept for breeding. I need to start replacing the army that YOU killed.**" Two punches this time. Still no effect. "**I think I'm going to hang on to that one you like, though. Glade, I think her name was? I think she would make a wonderful concubine, and-**"

Sam squeezed the Black Rabbit's throat so hard, he could not speak. The teen's eyes began to glow white, and his arm quivered in anger. "You won't touch her, you evil bastard! I'll kill you before you even **see** her again!"

The Black Rabbit's eyes widened, and a huge smile broke across his face. "**So angry. So PERFECT!**" His mouth open unnaturally wide, and a thick stream of black smoke erupted from within. Before Sam could react, the cloud crashed into him and forced his jaw open. The teen felt something force its way down his throat, and then the world faded to black.

* * *

Sam's eyes flickered open slowly. The teen groan and rubbed his throbbing head. He sat up and looked around, surprised to find himself no longer in Darkhaven. Sam was somewhere he had not been in months. The last time he was here, was also the last time he had seen Prince Rainbow before he was captured by the Black Rabbit. Sam was in his mind. The teen slowly got to his feet. "Ugh, what the hell…?" He looked around, trying to find some reason for his being here. "Hello? What's going o-" Sam stopped speaking when something hard hit his head. "What in the…" The teen reached out a hand, and flinched when it came into contact with something metal. But he could not see anything. "What is this?"

"**Isn't it clear, Messenger?**" Sam looked around furiously, searching for the source of the voice. "**I TOLD you that you would be mine.**"

Suddenly, the usual darkness in Sam's mind erupted into red. The teen was finally able to see what he had crashed into. It was the wall of a cage. Sam followed the glow to its source, and gasped in shock. Floating in front of Sam was a red monster. It was huge, at least twice as tall as Sam. It had the basic shape of a human, but its lower legs had two joints, ending in cloven hooves instead of feet. Its head had two pairs of horns, one pointing upwards, and the other framing its face. A pair of tattered bat wings protruded from the beast's back framing the dark creature in a black shroud. The monster had a bare chest, except for a set of chains that crossed in an x shape across its front. They were held together with a metal clasp in the shape of a skull. But the most terrifying thing about this monster was its face. The monster's mouth was filled with pointy, razor sharp teeth. Behind its eyes was a roaring blaze.

Sam pressed himself against the other side of the cage, as far away from the monster as he could get. "What…what are you?!"

The monster chuckled. Its voice was deep and booming, rattling the bars of the cage. "**You don't recognize me? I'm hurt, Messenger. Although I suppose you wouldn't, now that I'm finally free from that damn rabbit.**"

Sam's eyes widened in realization. "You're the Black Rabbit?"

"**Do not insult me. That weak willed rabbit was a puppet. But I could only get so far with him. That's why I needed to…upgrade.**"

"So who, or what, are you then?" Sam asked, growing slightly bolder. "And what are you doing in my head? How is this even possible?!"

The monster sighed. "**You humans and your incessant need to categorize everything. Call me Ira, if you must. As to WHAT I am, well, let me just say that it was surprisingly easy to break past your mind once you lost your temper. And before you ask, yes, this IS your mind. And I'M in control.**" Ira turned and looked around. "**Now then, let's test the controls on this thing.**"

Sam watched as Ira lifted his arms, and they began to glow with a black light. The air shimmered in front of him and began to brighten. Two orbs slowly appeared in the air, but both were dark. "**Hmm, still unconscious. Get up you fool.**" Sam's head began to ache as the orbs slowly filled with light. The pictures began to get more detailed, revealing a pair of human hands pressed to the ground. Ira smiled a cruel smile. "**Good, the hard part is over. On your feet**."

The hands pushed themselves away from the ground, and it faded away as their owner stood. Sam saw the vision waver as the person stumbled momentarily, but quickly stabilized. He quickly realized what he was watching: it was a picture of what his eyes were seeing. The teen's suspicions were confirmed as the eyes looked down at his body. There were his cloths, tattered and torn. His body was moving on its own. He glanced at Ira, who was staring at the picture intensely. Well, not entirely on its own. Sam could not stand to watch any longer. "What are you doing? Leave my body alone!" The teen cried out in pain as a wave of electricity spread through the cage.

"**Watch your tone, boy. Do not forget who is in charge here.**" Ira smirked. "**This body is mine now. And it is perfect! You have such power.**" Sam watched as a green, spiked sword appeared in one hand, and a ball of fire in the other. "**Oh yes, this will do nicely. Now to test what this body can do. With me in control, we should be able to make it back to your little hill in a fraction of the time it took you to get here. Your friends will be so surprised.**"

"No…" Sam said weakly, still trying to recover from his shock. "You can't! You…" Sam trailed off, despair quickly filling him. "Oh no…"

Ira's cruel laughter filled Sam's mind. "**Oh this is just too perfect. If I did not know better, I would almost think Frith was on MY side.**"

Tears were already forming in Sam's eyes. "God damn it, I **told** you to stay away!"

Through Sam's eyes, the pair watched the Watership Down rabbits approach, Hazel in the lead.

* * *

Hazel walked slowly through the odd surroundings. The path they walked on was lined with dead hrududil, most with their feet missing. Alice's path had ended at the entrance to this strange place. Despite the reassurances of Spartina, who they had run into just as she and Glade were leaving Darkhaven, Bigwig and a few of the owsla members had gone on an infiltration mission into the "warren." But they had quickly returned when they had not found any rabbits, either on sentry or patrol. After the owsla had returned, Hazel led the way into Darkhaven, with the rest of the warren following behind.

The chief sighed as the thought struck him again. Once the warren had woken from the sleep Sam had put them under, everyone insisted on going after the teen. **Everyone**. Primrose, Clover, and even the Junior Owsla had come, although they were commanded firmly to stay in the back of the group. Hazel led the group slowly, checking every corner carefully before continuing on. Spartina had advised Hazel to head for the warehouse, and that is where he had been going. His excess caution had started when their destination suddenly collapsed to the ground with an echoing crash.

Luckily, they did not have to look very hard. When Hazel rounded the corner leading to the warehouse, he saw Sam standing there, a sword in his hand. Although the chief could not remember Sam ever having a sword before, he was too happy to see his friend to worry about such a minor detail. "Sam!" he called running closer to the teen. "Thank Frith you're alright!" His happiness quickly faded to anger. "I can't believe you tried to leave us behind! We **told** you not to try and do this on your own, who knows what you could have happened. Did you ever think about…Sam? Are you listening to me?"

The teen was staring through the chief as though he was not there. A slow, insane smile began to spread over his face. Suddenly, he threw the fireball to the ground in front of Hazel, pelting the rabbit with rocks and sparks.

"Sam!" Hazel proclaimed, horrified, "what are you doing?!"

Sam simply looked at him. "**Die.**"

* * *

"Hazel!" Sam yelled in alarm as he watched himself throw a fireball at his friend. Luckily it missed the chief, but not by much. He begged Ira. "Please, don't hurt them! Do whatever you want to me, but just leave them alone!"

"**By siding with you against me, these rabbits have sealed their fate. Now shut up, I have work to do**."

* * *

"Hazel-rah!" Bigwig yelled. The captain ran next to Hazel and pushed him back. "What's going on?" he asked, keeping a careful eye on Sam. "Why did he attack you?"

"I don't know!" Hazel replied in shock.

Just then, Pipkin ran ahead of the pair. "Sam, what are you doing? What's wrong?" The teen's eyes flicked to the little buck. He quickly charged a green energy and threw it at Pipkin. The rabbit froze as the ball came closer, only to be blocked as something large threw itself between Pipkin and the ball.

Hazel watched the ball crash into Bigwig, who had dove in the way to protect Pipkin. It hit him hard, and flung him back into the smaller buck. The pair flew and fell in a pile, breathing raggedly. Hazel turned to glare at Sam, who was staring back at him with no emotion on his face. "Owsla! Subdue him! We need to try and pin him down so we can see what is wrong with him." Hazel stepped forward, flanked quickly by Campion, Hawkbit, Dandelion, Holly, and Strawberry. Glade was not strong enough to fight yet, and Spartina stayed back as a last line of defense for the other does. Hazel was about to call the charge when he felt three small shapes wriggle into line next to him. Looking, the chief saw Blackavar, Snowdrop, and Gillia. Hazel growled in frustration. "I didn't mean you three."

"But Parli, we want to help Uncle Sam," Blackavar replied.

"He's so strong," Gillia continued. "You're going to need as much help as you can get."

"We want to help, Parli, please," Snowdrop said.

Hazel sighed and risked a glance back at Primrose. She looked terrified and very worried for her kittens, but she made no move to stop them. As much as it pained him to see his children in danger, he knew they were right. "Fine," Hazel relented. "Just be careful. Stay behind the rest of us, and do **not** try to fight him alone." They nodded, and dropped into untrained fighting stances alongside the owsla. "Everyone be careful. You all know how powerful Sam is. Watch each other's backs. Charge!" At his words, the owsla ran towards Sam as one.

The teen yawned. In one fluid motion, he stabbed his sword in the ground. A large pulse of red ran down the inside of the blade, similar to how Sam killed Alice. Suddenly, the ground erupted beneath the owsla's feet, throwing them all high in the air. As they landed, cries of pain were heard throughout the battlefield. Dandelion, Strawberry, and Gillia all sported broken legs from landing badly, and Holly, Snowdrop, Blackavar, and Hawkbit were unconscious. Campion shakily got to his feet, being the only one left to fight. With a savage yell, the rabbit launched himself at Sam. Campion was almost on top of the teen, when he held out a glowing green hand. When the hand hit Campion's chest, a sickening crack was heard, and he collapsed, struggling to breathe.

"**That was it?**" the teen asked. "**Pathetic. Fine then. I will kill the bucks, then on to the does.**" Sam lifted his sword and prepared to stab Campion in the chest, when he heard more rabbits running at him. Sam looked up to see Blackberry charging at him with anger in her eyes, followed closely by Spartina, Primrose, and even Clover. He chuckled and pointed his finger at the group. A burst of black and green lightning sprang forth, arcing between the does and dropping them immediately. Sam was about to turn his attention back to Campion, when he noticed Glade, Fiver, and Silverweed standing further back. They were in no hurry to attack, but neither did they try to escape. Sam smirked. "**Or maybe I should go for the REAL prize first.**" Leaving Campion and the others behind, Sam walked slowly towards the three. Fiver tried tackling him when he got close, but a swift backhand sent the mystic sprawling on the ground. Silverweed reached for his powers to try and break into Sam's mind, but he was still too weak. The teen punched him in the shoulder, knocking him out of the way with a cracking noise.

Glade was alone.

* * *

Sam sat on the cage floor, openly sobbing as he watched the Black Rabbit cut down his friends. His heart froze when he watched Silverweed get knocked away, leaving Glade undefended. The doe was barely strong enough to stand; there was no way she would be able to fight against him. "No," Sam said desperately as he watched his hands move towards her. He pushed at the cage with all his might.

The bars trembled.

Ira commanded Sam's hands to grab Glade by the throat and lift her into the air. She whined in pain.

The bars began to give.

Holding Glade in one hand, Ira prepared the sword with the other, lining the tip of the blade up with Glade's heart.

The bars bent.

Glade looked down at the sword with fear. She gave a weak cough and spoke. "Sam…help me…please…"

The bars shattered.

Just as Ira was about to stab Glade through the heart and capture her as his servant, he felt his grip on Sam's body slip away. The doe fell to the ground and the sword disappeared. Ira turned to check his prisoner, and caught a Frith Beam directly in the face.

He screamed in pain. "**How!? How is this possible?!**"

Sam faced the monster calmly, his eyes glowing white. "**Nobody** hurts my friends. Now. Get. Out. Of. **My. Body!**" Sam pushed his powers harder than he ever had before, and the dark red color that inhabited his mind turned pure white. Sam had to cover his eyes against the brightness.

When his eyes opened again, he was lying on the ground. He woke just in time to see the tail end of a dark cloud escape from his mouth. It was large, and dark as the night with red flashes of lightning contained within. The cloud lingered in the air, having no other body to inhabit. Sam could practically feel the rage emanating from it.

"**Damn you, Messenger!**" Ira's voice shouted. "**How you do you pitiful humans ALWAYS manage to defeat me?!**"

"We're a pretty stubborn bunch," Sam replied angrily, getting to his feet slowly. He pointed his hands at Ira, and they began to glow. "For what you did to my friends, to **all** these rabbits, you don't deserve to live. Ending you will be my pleasure."

"**You…you cannot kill me**," Ira said, this time with a bit of fear tingeing his voice. "**I am above you. I am GREATER than you! YOU CANNOT KILL ME!**"

Sam smiled cruelly. "Well I'm sure as hell going to try." With a feral scream, Sam pumped every last bit of energy he had into one last Frith Beam. But instead of coming out yellow, the beam held every possible color imaginable. It was a rainbow beam. The beam struck Ira in the middle, and with an unearthly shriek, the cloud burned up, ending the monster's life.

Sam's hands fell, and he hit the ground.


	37. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

"SAM?"

The teen groaned as the voice reached his ears, pulling him from unconsciousness. He felt a hand shake his shoulder gently.

"Come on, Sam, wake up. It's over, you won."

Sam's eyes opened slowly, and he was surprised to see a familiar face. Kneeling in front of him, looking much healthier than the last time they had met, was Prince Rainbow.

The old man's face burst into a smile when he saw Sam awaken. "Hello, Sam. How are you feeling?"

"Tired," the teen replied. "And sore."

"SORE? YOU SHOULDN'T BE SORE. DID I DO SOMETHING WRONG?"

"I just fought a…whatever that thing was. Don't I have a right to be-" Sam stopped as he realized he felt fine. His ribs gave him no pain, and the metal shard that had dug its way into his leg was nowhere to be seen. The teen sat up, and realized he was not in Darkhaven anymore. He found himself sitting on a rainbow high in the sky, just like when he had first arrived. "Where…where am I?"

Prince Rainbow chuckled. "YOU ARE WHERE YOU WERE BEFORE, JUST A BIT HIGHER."

Sam looked down and saw Darkhaven far below. He also saw his friends lying on the ground, none of them moving. "You have to take me back down there," Sam insisted. "I have to help them! After all I did…"

Prince Rainbow put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "CALM YOURSELF, SAM. YOU HAVE WON THE BATTLE; THE WORLD WILL WAIT FOR YOU."

"What do you…" Sam trailed off as he noticed something floating in the air. It was a bird, frozen mid-flight. The implications of Prince Rainbow's words dawned on him. "Are you telling me time is stopped right now?!"

"WELL, IT IS ACTUALLY FAR MORE COMPLEX THAN THAT, BUT IF IT HELPS TO THINK OF IT THAT WAY, GO AHEAD. FEEL FREE TO RELAX FOR A BIT. FRITH KNOWS YOU HAVE EARNED IT." Prince Rainbow shook his head. "I STILL CANNOT BELIEVE YOU BEAT IRA. I DID NOT THINK IT WAS POSSIBLE."

"So you know what that thing, Ira, was?" Sam asked. "Please, tell me. I think I've earned some answers."

Prince Rainbow nodded. "YES, YES YOU HAVE. WE WILL BEGIN WITH A STORY, ONE THAT IS BETTER SHOWN THAN TOLD." He leaned forward and laid a hand on Sam's head. With a flash, their surroundings had changed. Sam and Prince Rainbow were floating in thick, soupy fog.

Sam looked around in confusion. "Wha-" Prince Rainbow put a finger to his lips and gestured behind him. The teen turned and saw the Black Rabbit, but he did not appear to notice them.

"IT BEGAN CENTURIES AGO, WITH THE BLACK RABBIT. AS YOU KNOW, HE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE EVIL, FOR HE PROVIDES A NECESSARY SERVICE. BY FERRYING THE SOULS OF THE DEAD TO THE LAND BEYOND LIFE, THE WORLD REMAINS BALANCED AND AVOIDS OVERCROWDING. BUT AS I AM SURE YOU CAN IMAGINE, NOT EVERY CREATURE SAW IT THIS WAY."

The scene flashed, and Sam watched as the Black Rabbit stood in front of a rabbit caught in a snare. The doe was not moving, and her glassy eyes lacked the spark of the living. A spectral version of herself rose from her body, and the Black Rabbit moved to catch her attention. It was clear by the shock on her face that she recognized him. Although Sam could not hear what the pair said, it was obvious the doe was furious. She attempted to run, but froze suddenly and fell the ground, paralyzed. The Black Rabbit's ears lowered in sadness as he turned away, the doe's prone form following. "NOT EVERYONE WENT WILLINGLY," Prince Rainbow said with a look of pity on his face. "SOME HAD TO BE DRAGGED, KICKING AND SCREAMING."

The scenes flashed before Sam's eyes. Buck and does, some old, some so young their eyes were hardly open. All were angry. The visions finally settled on one last scene. A rabbit lay on the ground with an arrow through its neck. Sam watched as a human dressed in furs approached the body. He dropped to his knees and began a prayer over the dead rabbit, unaware of the ghostly meeting taking place before him. The Black Rabbit was different here. Where before he had been kind and gentle, his face was that of one who would brook no argument. He sneered as the rabbit began to argue. When it was clear that would get him nowhere, he tried attacking.

Suddenly, hell broke loose.

The Black Rabbit bent over and shook his head in pain. When he stood again, a feral snarl was on his face. With a flick of his paw, the rabbit's spirit screamed in agony, and shattered. The human nearby yelped in surprise and fell backwards, as Black Rabbit suddenly became visible to him. The Black Rabbit looked at the man momentarily before a cruel smile flashed on his face. Before the man could grab his bow again, the Black Rabbit leapt forward and bit him on the ankle. Then, in a puff of smoke, he disappeared.

"THAT WAS THE DAY IT STARTED. YEARS OF BEING HATED AND CRITICIZED FOR DOING WHAT YOU KNOW IS RIGHT FOR THE WORLD CAN TAKE A TOLL ON ANYONE. THIS, COMBINED WITH THE BLACK RABBIT'S POWER OVER DEATH, GAVE BIRTH TO A CREATURE OF PURE ANGER."

"Ira," Sam replied.

Prince Rainbow nodded. "YES. IRA'S POWER WAS TOO GREAT, AND HE WAS ABLE TAKE CONTROL OF THE BLACK RABBIT. HE FED OFF THE BLACK RABBIT'S ANGER TOWARD THE WORLD, AND ALL THE UNGRATEFUL CREATURES THAT LIVED IN IT. HIS GOAL WAS TO TAKE OVER EVERY CREATURE, HUMANS INCLUDED, AND SHROUD THE WORLD IN ANGER AND ANARCHY." The scene changed to a rough wooden shelter. The hunter from before was sitting at the table, looking at his leg with concern. Sam winced empathetically as he recognized the same infection he had on his leg after the fight with Alice.

"IT WAS AN INTERESTING SITUATION THAT HAD FRITH AT A UNIQUE DISADVANTAGE. THE BLACK RABBIT, AS WELL AS MYSELF AND A FEW OF HIS OTHER SERVANTS, ARE CONNECTED TO FRITH IN SUCH A WAY THAT ANYTHING THAT IF ANYTHING WERE TO HAPPEN TO US, HE WOULD BE SEVERELY WEAKENED. POSSIBLY EVEN DIE. IF THIS WERE NOT THE CASE, FRITH COULD HAVE SIMPLY DESTROYED IRA, AND THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE END OF IT. BUT BECAUSE IRA WAS CONNECTED TO THE BLACK RABBIT, AND THE BLACK RABBIT TO FRITH HIMSELF, HE NEEDED…ANOTHER WAY TO FIGHT."

Suddenly, a beam of bright sunlight filled the hunter's cabin. Being that it was nighttime, he was understandably alarmed. The man balled his hands together and began to pray. It was only a moment before his head jerked up. He seemed to be listening to something, and spoke back hesitantly. Sam's eyes widened in surprise. Surely he wasn't…

The teen turned to Prince Rainbow. "Wait a second. Are you telling me Frith is real? Like, **really** real?"

Prince Rainbow chuckled. "I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WOULD BE SKEPTICAL. BUT LET ME ASSURE YOU THAT, YES, FRITH IS VERY REAL. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH HIM MYSELF, ACTUALLY. HE IS VERY NICE."

Sam stood in awe. "And Frith is…is like…"

"GOD? NO. BUT AGAIN, I CAN SEE WHY YOU MIGHT THINK THAT. THE WAY THE PROPHET PORTRAYED HIM IN THE WATERSHIP DOWN BOOK, IT DOES MAKE HIM SEEM VERY OMNIPOTENT. IF IT HELPS, THINK OF FRITH LIKE…AN ANGEL. THAT IS THE CLOSEST APPROXIMATION TO WHAT HE REALLY IS IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS."

Sam nodded slowly, taking in all Prince Rainbow had said. One thing jumped out at him. "Prophet?" the teen asked.

Prince Rainbow swore under his breath. "I'M GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF. I WILL EXPLAIN LATER, BUT FIRST…" Prince Rainbow gestured back to the hunter, whose leg had begun to glow. When the glow faded, his leg was strong and healthy, as it had been before the Black Rabbit bit him.

The scene changed.

The hunter was walking through a forest, with three rabbits following behind him. They spoke freely together, laughing at some unheard joke. _He must have been shrunk just like me,_ Sam thought. _And given the same powers as well. He doesn't appear to have any trouble communicating._ Suddenly, the rabbits' ears perked up and they said something to the hunter. Watching another human turn into a rabbit for a change was fascinating. He seemed to blur and fall on all fours before reappearing as a large, dark grey buck. The group ran off quickly as a fox appeared from the bush.

"FOR A WHILE, IT WAS MUCH THE SAME FOR HIM AS IT WAS FOR YOU, EXCEPT THAT HE KNEW OF IRA'S EXISTENCE FROM THE BEGINNING."

Another scene change, and the hunter stood in front of a bloody Black Rabbit. The hunter's hands were glowing yellow. He pointed at the Black Rabbit and fired a powerful Frith Beam. The beam engulfed the Black Rabbit, and he rolled on the ground in pain. When it was over, he got slowly to his feet, and looked around in confusion. Sunlight filled the clearing where the two were standing.

Prince Rainbow spoke again. "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED FOR CENTURIES. THE MESSENGER WOULD 'DEFEAT' THE BLACK RABBIT. BUT IT WAS NOT ENOUGH. BY THIS TIME, IRA HAD A HOLD ON THE BLACK RABBIT. HE COULD ONLY BE SUPPRESSED, NOT DEFEATED. NOT WITHOUT KILLING THE BLACK RABBIT. NOW, FRITH IS ASKING HIM TO STAY. FRITH KNOWS IRA WILL BE BACK, AND HE WOULD LIKE THE HUNTERS HELP IN PREPARING TO DEAL WITH HIM IN THE FUTURE. HE ACCEPTED."

With a wave of his hand, Prince Rainbow brought the pair back to the rainbow above Darkhaven. Sam reeled from the images in his mind, and fell hard on the rainbow.

"THAT MAN WAS ONLY THE FIRST TO BE DRAFTED BY FRITH," Prince Rainbow said, reaching down a hand to pull the teen to his feet. "AFTER SEEING HOW WELL HE DID, FRITH BLESSED HIS FAMILY. EVERY HUMAN BROUGHT TO FIGHT AGAINST IRA AND THE BLACK RABBIT IS DESCENDED FROM HIM. YOURSELF INCLUDED."

Sam held up a hand. "Stop, please. Just…slow down. I understand most of this. Ira came from the Black Rabbit, I get that. I can even see how Frith would want to stick with a single family line. The less people that know about something like this, the better. But where were you? It looked to me like Frith talked to that guy directly." After thinking for a moment another glaring question hit Sam. "And how the hell is there a book about my friends?! Richard Adams wrote Watership Down about the rabbits lying on the ground down there." Sam's gaze fell and looked over his friends. "Well, for the most part. Explain **that** one."

"I WAS WONDERING IF YOU WOULD PICK UP ON THAT," Prince Rainbow responded with a smile. "I WILL KEEP MY OWN SECRET FOR A WHILE LONGER, BUT KNOW THAT I AM NOT THE FIRST PRINCE RAINBOW. THERE WERE OTHERS BEFORE ME. AS THIS CYCLE CONTINUED, FRITH AND ONE OF MY PREDECESSORS DID WHAT THEY COULD TO MAKE THE PROCESS OF FIGHTING THE BLACK RABBIT EASIER. DO YOU REMEMBER I MENTIONED A PROPHET EARLIER?" Sam nodded. "IN THIS CASE THAT WOULD BE RICHARD ADAMS. THOUGH HE DOES NOT REALIZE IT, THE IDEA FOR THE WATERSHIP DOWN STORY WAS A GIFT FROM FRITH. IT IS A FAIR TRADE: HE SPREADS THE STORY OF THE RABBITS TO THE NEXT MESSENGER, AND IN RETURN, THE BOOK DOES WELL."

"It **always** does well?" Sam inquired.

"IT IS SURPRISINGLY EASY TO CHANGE THE WAY THE WORLD IS WRITTEN. THE MESSENGER ALWAYS FALLS IN LOVE WITH THE BOOK. ALWAYS. IT MAKES THE TRANSITION EASIER. AND WATERSHIP DOWN IS HARDLY THE FIRST OF ITS KIND. MANY DIFFERENT ITERATIONS OF THE BOOK HAVE BEEN CREATED, THAT IS JUST THE ONE THE WORLD WILL REMEMBER. WHEN ONE MESSENGER SUCCEEDS, FRITH ERASES THE CURRENT BOOK FROM EXISTENCE, CHANGES IT TO FIT THE NEXT TIME IRA WILL AWAKEN, AND PLANTS THE IDEA IN A NEW AUTHOR." Prince Rainbow chuckled. "I HAVE BEEN TOLD IT WAS EVEN IN THE HANDS OF SHAKESPEARE AT ONE TIME. BUT THAT WAS BEFORE ME."

Sam shook his head. The thought that someone had entered his mind and forced him to like something made the teen feel violated. "That…that isn't right! How can you just change the world, people's **lives**, just to suit your own needs?"

Prince Rainbow looked at Sam in disappointment. "SURELY YOU ARE NOT THAT SHORT-SIGHTED? YOU WOULD RATHER FRITH HAVE LEFT THINGS THE WAY THEY WERE? HOW DO YOU THINK **YOU** WOULD HAVE TAKEN THE TRANSITION IF YOU HAD NOT KNOWN THE RABBITS YOU WOULD BE LIVING WITH? IT WAS MUCH EASIER TO SAY, 'YOUR JOB IS TO KEEP THESE RABBITS THAT YOU KNOW AND LOVE SAFE,' RATHER THAN, 'YOU HAVE BEEN DRAFTED BY AN ANGEL TO FIGHT A PERSONIFICATION OF DEATH'S RAGE. HERE ARE YOUR RABBIT ALLIES, AND YOUR POWERS. GET IT DONE.'"

Sam sighed and averted his eyes. "I…guess I can see your point. I still don't like the idea that the world is just Frith's plaything."

"YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT YOU CAN WITH THE CARDS YOU HAVE BEEN DEALT. FRITH DOES NOT DELIGHT IN ALTERING YOUR WORLD. I PERSONALLY HAVE SEEN HIM DO IT FIVE TIMES, AND IT IS VERY TIRING FOR HIM. I IMAGINE HE WILL BE PLEASED THAT HE WILL NOT HAVE TO DO IT ANYMORE." After a pause, Prince Rainbow smiled suddenly. "ENOUGH OF THIS HEAVY TALK, SAM. YOU JUST SAVED THE WORLD! IT IS TIME TO TALK ABOUT YOUR REWARD."

"My…what?" Sam asked in confusion. "I get a reward?"

"OF COURSE YOU DO! EVERY HUMAN WHO FIGHTS FOR FRITH GETS THEIR CHOICE OF REWARD. COME ALONG, IT IS SOMEONE **ELSE'S** JOB TO TELL YOU ABOUT THIS PART." With a wave of his hand, the pair disappeared in a bright flash.

* * *

Sam blinked rapidly to clear the spots from his eyes. When his vision cleared, he noticed he was in a white room. And that he was human sized again. There were beeping machines and a bed in the middle. Sam looked at the bed, and his breath caught in his throat. If he had not been floating in the air next to Prince Rainbow, he would have fallen to the floor. There was a person lying in the bed.

It was Sam.

The teen sputtered in shock. "Wha-what the hell is this? What's going on?!" He looked desperately to Prince Rainbow for answers.

Prince Rainbow floated in front of Sam, blocking his view from himself. "BREATH, SAM." The teen shook, his emotions barely contained. Prince Rainbow sighed. "THEY ALWAYS HATE THIS PART," he mumbled to himself. "CALM DOWN, SAM. EVERYTHING IS FINE."

"But that's me!" Sam exclaimed. "But…**I'm** me! I don't understand."

"SAM, PAY CLOSE ATTENTION. THERE ARE TWO PARTS TO EVERY LIVING THING, A BODY, AND A SOUL. **THAT**," Prince Rainbow pointed to the Sam lying the bed, "IS YOUR BODY. THE ONE YOU LEFT IN YOUR BED THE NIGHT I TOOK YOU. YOU," he poked Sam in the chest, "THE ONE WHO HAS BEEN WITH THE RABBITS OF WATERSHIP DOWN WITH A FRITH-MADE BODY, ARE THE SOUL. UNDERSTAND?"

Sam nodded numbly. "So it wasn't really me…"

"YES IT WAS!" Prince Rainbow interrupted forcefully. "THE BODY AND SOUL ARE ONE, SAM. GRANTED, YOUR BODY CANNOT SUSTAIN ITSELF WITHOUT YOUR SOUL, HENCE THE HOSPITAL STAY. BUT IT IS NOT LIKE YOU ARE SUDDENLY TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE. WHILE **YOU** HAVE SPENT THE LAST YEAR OR SO FIGHTING IRA, YOUR BODY HAS BEEN HERE, IN THE HOSPITAL."

By this point, Sam had calmed down somewhat. After a few moments of silence, a thought came to him. "I…I didn't really have much time to think about it after arriving, but I had a concern, back when I first arrived. Is Watership Down real? Like, **really** real? Have I **really** been unconscious for a year?"

Prince Rainbow nodded sadly. "I AM SORRY, BUT YES, YOU HAVE. THERE IS NO WAY TO STOP TIME FROM PASSING IN ONE PART OF THE WORLD WHILE ALLOWING IT TO FLOW IN ANOTHER. AS FOR YOUR OTHER QUESTION, YES, WATERSHIP DOWN IS REAL. AND YES, YOU WERE REALLY RUNNING AROUND THERE. IT IS IN ENGLAND, YOU KNOW THAT."

Sam huffed in annoyance. "Well sorry if some of us have trouble following everything. Just because you've done this five, six…**whatever** number of times doesn't mean I have."

Without warning, Prince Rainbow threw his head back and began to laugh. "I REMEMBER YOUR FATHER SAYING SOMETHING SIMILAR. YOU TWO ARE MORE ALIKE THAN YOU REALIZE."

"You know my dad?!"

"OH YES, OF COURSE I DO. SPEAKING OF…" Prince Rainbow turned towards the closed door, "YOU CAN COME IN, JOHN. I CAN SENSE YOU LURKING OUT THERE."

Sam whipped around as the door to the room open and a man walked through. The teen's mouth hung open as he registered his father's appearance. His hair was messy, and he was still in his polka-dot pajamas. It looked like he had just come from bed. The man smiled as he saw Sam and Prince Rainbow floating in the room. "Hello, Sam."

"Dad," Sam managed a gasp past the rising lump on his throat. With no further warning, the teen lunged at his father, arms outstretched…

"Sam, wait! Don't-"

…only to fly right through him and crash into the wall.

John winced as Prince Rainbow hurried over to help the teen up. "Are you alright, Sam? I did the same thing when I got back. We can't touch just yet, since you're still just a soul."

With the help of Prince Rainbow, Sam was able to stand. He walked up to John calmly this time. "It's just…I'm so happy to see you, Dad. I didn't know if I would ever see you again. How're Mom and Molly doing?"

"They're alright, considering you've been in a coma for a little over a year," John replied. "I wasn't allowed to tell them where you really were." He chuckled. "Not that I would have anyway. Your mother would have just worried herself sick, and Molly probably wouldn't have understood."

Sam's eyes widened. "Wait, you **know** where I've been? About Prince Rainbow, all the crazy powers, and…"

John nodded. "And Ira, yes. I've been there myself." He turned to Prince Rainbow. "Would you care to explain, Max?"

"**Max**?" Sam asked skeptically.

Prince Rainbow sighed in annoyance. "I HAD NOT **GOTTEN** THERE YET, BUT YES, MAX IS MY REAL NAME. YOUR FATHER KNOWS THIS BECAUSE I TOLD WHEN I BROUGHT **HIM** BACK FROM FIGHTING IRA."

Sam looked back to his father. "You…?" John gestured for Sam to be quiet and listen.

"REMEMBER I TOLD YOU THAT ALL THE MESSENGERS FROM THE PAST FOLLOW ONE FAMILY LINE? WELL, IF **YOU** WERE CHOSEN AS A MESSENGER, DOES IT NOT MAKE SENSE THAT YOUR FATHER WOULD AS WELL? WHEN THE PREVIOUS MESSENGERS WOULD DEFEAT IRA, HE WOULD ONLY STAY LOCKED AWAY FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS. THEN WE NEEDED SOMEONE NEW." Prince Rainbow turned to John. "JOHN, LISTEN TO THIS: SAM ACTUALLY **BEAT** HIM! IRA IS GONE FOR GOOD!"

"What?!" John exclaimed in pleased surprise. "I didn't think that was possible. How'd you do it, Sam?"

"Well this is just a guess," Sam replied, "but I think when he took over **my** body, he severed his connection with the Black Rabbit. So when I kicked him back out, he was ripe for the killing. Does that sound about right?"

John stood in shock as Prince Rainbow shot him an empathetic glance. "IRA TRIED SOME NEW TACTICS THIS TIME," he explained to John. "WHERE BEFORE HE HAD ALWAYS HID AND SCHEMED, THIS TIME HE WENT ON THE OFFENSIVE. HE HAD THRALLS BEFORE SAM HAD ARRIVED, HE ACTUALLY CAPTURED **ME**, AND HE EVEN CREATED A FALSE HUMAN MADE OF DARKNESS TO COMBAT SAM DIRECTLY. IF FRITH HAD NOT ERECTED A BARRIER AROUND THEIR WARREN, I DO NOT KNOW HOW EVERYTHING WOULD HAVE TURNED OUT. HE WAS MOVING SO FAST, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO TIME TO SPARE. WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO PULL IN THE REPLACEMENT RIGHT AWAY, AND HOPE FOR THE BEST."

John's face went ghostly white. "But if Sam couldn't beat him, there's no **way**-"

"I KNOW. THANKFULLY, SAM WAS ABLE TO WIN. IT WOULD HAVE BROKEN MY HEART, PULLING THAT LITTLE GIRL INTO HER DEATH."

Sam threw his hands up in exasperation. "Hold on, **now** what are you talking about?"

Seeing that John was still not in a condition to answer, Prince Rainbow responded. "IN THE EVENT THAT THE MESSENGER CANNOT DEFEAT IRA, WE BRING IN THE NEXT ELIGIBLE FAMILY MEMBER AS A REPLACEMENT. IN THIS CASE, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN YOU SISTER, MOLLY."

"What?! How could you even **think** of asking Molly to fight that monster? She's only eleven! What kind of a stupid rule is that?!"

"THIS IS A MATTER OR PROTECTING THE WORLD, SAM," Prince Rainbow replied. His words lacked conviction, as if he himself did not really believe them. "IRA **CANNOT** BE LEFT TO WORK HIS PLANS UNCHECKED. IF MOLLY COULD NOT HAVE DEFEATED IRA, AND I HIGHLY DOUBT SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT WE WOULD HAVE DONE. THAT SITUATION HAS ONLY OCCURRED ONCE IN THE PAST. THE INITIAL MESSENGER HAD AN UNFORTUNATE SLIP OFF SMALL RIDGE, AND BROKE HIS NECK. IN DESPERATION, FRITH BROUGHT IN HIS YOUNGER SISTER TO REPLACE HIM. LUCKILY, THE GIRL WAS **VERY** STRONG-WILLED."

"Thank you, Sam" John finally spoke. "Thank you, in so many ways, for defeating Ira."

"I'm glad I was able to," Sam agreed. "Now Molly is safe, and my own children won't have to go through any of this. Right?"

John responded hesitantly. "Well that **would **be right, but…" he glanced to Prince Rainbow. "Did you give him the choice yet?"

Prince Rainbow shook his head. "I WAS ABOUT TO. I THINK IT IS TIME."

"What choice?" Sam asked in confusion.

Prince Rainbow cleared his throat. "SAM, WHEN EVERY MESSENGER DEFEATS IRA, FRITH GIVES THEM THE REWARD OF A GOOD LIFE. AND A CHOICE AS TO WHERE THEY WANT THAT LIFE. THIS CAN GO ONE OF TWO WAYS. JOHN, WILL YOU EXPLAIN THE FIRST CHOICE?"

The man nodded. "The first choice, the one I took, is to come back to your human life. You will have a bit of work to make up for the lost time, but you'll find everything surprisingly easy. I can't point out exactly what Frith does, but let's just say that I don't think I would be earning my six-figure salary on my own. Your rabbit friends will have their minds erased, so they will remember nothing about you or fighting the Black Rabbit. Their lives will be rewritten to what they were supposed to be at the end of the book."

"TV show," Sam murmured. "My friends were from the TV show, not the book."

John looked to Prince Rainbow with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged. "DON'T ASK ME. FRITH DOESN'T TELL ME WHY HE DOES EVERYTHING."

"Then they be how they were at the end of the TV show," John continued. "No memory of you, and with their own happy ending."

"THE OTHER OPTION," Prince Rainbow said, drawing the teen's attention, "IS TO STAY WITH YOUR FRIENDS FROM WATERSHIP DOWN. YOU WOULD BE STRIPPED OF YOUR POWERS, AND WOULD BE A NORMAL RABBIT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. YOUR BODY HERE WOULD DIE TO MAKE ROOM FOR YOUR NEW, PERMANENT RABBIT FORM. YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS WOULD BE HEALED FROM THE INJURIES YOU SUSTAINED WHILE FIGHTING IRA, AND YOU WOULD BE LEFT TO LIVE YOUR LIVES AS YOU SEE FIT. FOR THE DERATION OF YOUR LIFE, WATERSHIP DOWN WOULD SEE GREAT LUCK. ELIL WOULD FIND IT HARDER TO CATCH YOUR SCENT, FLAYRAH WOULD BE PLENTIFUL, AND EVEN THE WINTERS WOULD BE EASIER FOR YOU TO BEAR. ONCE YOUR FUNERAL HAD OCCURRED HERE, JOHN WOULD BE ALLOWED TO TELL YOUR MOTHER AND SISTER THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, TO EASE THEIR SUFFERING." Prince Rainbow paused for a moment to think. "THERE IS SUPPOSED TO BE ONE MORE STIPULATION TO THIS CHOICE, BUT I AM NOT SURE IF IT WILL STILL BE ENFORCED. YOU MAY REMEMBER YOUR FATHER CALLING ME MAX WHEN HE FIRST ARRIVED? THAT IS BECAUSE THAT IS MY NAME. BY STAYING WITH THE RABBITS, YOU AGREE TO TAKE ON THE JOB OF PRINCE RAINBOW WHEN YOU DIE, TO HELP THE NEXT MESSENGERS IN THEIR BATTLE. THAT IS THE CHOICE I MADE. YOU KEEP THE JOB UNTIL ANOTHER MESSENGER DECIDES TO STAY. PERSONALLY, I HAVE BEEN PRINCE RAINBOW FOR ABOUT EIGHTY YEARS."

"I…I could stay?" Sam asked in disbelief. "But…what about my friends? What about Cody and Becka? Would they be told what happened to me?"

"NO," Prince Rainbow responded immediately. "THEY WOULD LIVE THE REST OF THEIR LIVES THINKING YOU SUCCUMBED TO YOUR COMA." He closed his eyes for a moment and looked to the sky. "IF IT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER, THEY NEVER FORGET ABOUT YOU. EVERY YEAR THEY VISIT YOUR GRAVE AND PAY THEIR RESPECTS TO THEIR BEST FRIEND."

Sam wiped the tears from his eyes. There was a reason he had them for best friends, after all. One last question burned in the teen, and be dreaded to ask. "I have to know: what would happen to Glade? In both the book and the TV show, there was only one rabbit rescued from Nuthanger Farm: Clover. What happens to Glade if I come back to New York?"

Prince Rainbow again looked to the sky, but this time was different. His face scrunched up and his head shook, as if he was being told something disagreeable. With a sigh, he opened his eyes. "FRITH SAYS THAT THINGS GO BACK TO THE TV SHOW. TO THE LETTER. I ASSUME THAT SHE WOULD NOT BE RESCUED IN THAT CASE. HE DID NOT SAY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO HER."

Sam nodded in acknowledgement. "So option one is going back to New York. Hazel and the others would have their minds wiped, and would go back to the TV show. They wouldn't remember all the crap they had to go through because me Ira…and me. And option two is to stay with them, and make my friends and family think I'm dead. Is that right?"

The pair nodded.

Sam sighed as he looked between them.

"Considering that, there's really only one option I can take."

A/N: *gasp* A cliff hanger like that?! I'm just terrible, aren't I? )

I would LOVE reviews for this chapter, since it is arguably the most important in the story. If there is anything you didn't understand, any questions you still have, PLEASE ask! This was supposed to be the chapter to wipe all the mystery away from the story, and I might have forgotten to explain something that is obvious in my head, but not so much to you. Thanks!


	38. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Sam groaned as light hit his eyes.

"Is he waking up?!"

A voice. It was female, and familiar. Sam squirmed when he heard the voice. He longed to hear it again. He had not heard it in far too long.

A few other voices joined the first.

"He is! I just saw him move!" Female, less familiar.

"Stand back, give him some air." Male, very familiar.

"No! Get out of my way, I need to see him! Just let me see him, please!" The first voice again.

The voices died down, and something soft caressed Sam's face. The voice whispered softly in his ear. "Please, Sam, wake up. You **have** to wake up. Please!" How could he refuse such a request? The teen's eyes flickered open.

A face smiled down at him. "Oh Sam, you're awake. Thank Frith."

Sam smiled weakly and held a paw to his head. "Oh course I did. You didn't think I'd abandon you after all that, did you?"

Glade nuzzled him happily. Tears streamed from her eyes. "I didn't think you were ever coming back. I thought…I thought you…"

Sam wrapped an arm around Glade and held her tight. "Don't worry, Glade. I'm here to stay. For good." He heard a massive cheer from behind him, and looked to see all his friends, awake and healthy, just like Prince Rainbow promised.

"You're staying?!" Pipkin asked excitedly running up to the pair. Suddenly, they were surrounded by everyone. Sam was being nuzzled on all sides. It took at least five minutes for him to get untangled from everyone.

"It's true," Sam said with a giant smile. "I'm staying here, with all of you. My powers are all gone, so I'm just…a rabbit now. I'm here for good. If you'll have me."

Hazel chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Of **course** we'll have you. Sam, you've been part of our warren for seasons. You…are the best friend I've ever had. Why wouldn't we have you, rusatitha?"

"It's just good to be sure," Sam replied with tears in his eyes. "Thank you." He looked at the smiling faces of all his friends. It felt right. His gaze stuck to one rabbit, standing slightly apart from the rest. "And how about you, Spartina? What do you plan to do now?"

"You're more than welcome to come with us to Watership Down," Hazel said. "After everything you've done for Sam and Glade, we'd love to have you."

She smiled genuinely. "I…supposed I have no other option. Thank you."

"We should make for the down," the chief continued. "I think Scree will be very happy to see you, Sam."

The teen straightened in shock. "Scree is alive?!"

"We found him along that ridge where you fought Vervain," Campion said. "Along with the body of that cowardly excuse for a rabbit. Scree's tale of the battle was quite interesting. Thank you for taking out that log, by the way. It added a day on our travel time. Anyway, one of Scree's wings was hurt, so he couldn't fly. He wasn't able to keep up with us on foot, so he told us to go on while he walked back to the down. I hope he made it back alright."

"I'm sure he's fine," Sam said happily. "Frith is watching out for him."

Dandelion hugged Sam from behind. "**Now** you're sounding like a proper rabbit!"

Hazel chuckled. "Is everyone ready?" Nods. "Then let's go."

The group started to walk, with Sam and Glade in the middle. He turned to her and touched her nose with his own. "Yeah, let's go home."

* * *

–2 Years Later—

Sunflower lay on the ground on the top of Watership Down, and sighed in contentment. It was a beautiful summer day, and the down was filled with activity. The owsla, all except Sunflower, was running drills. The former junior owsla made great time, beaten only by Campion, and Bigwig himself. The new junior owsla, now led by Campion's son, Nightshade, were play fighting further down the hill. Sunflower smiled as a familiar weight pressed up against his side.

He nuzzled Glade under the chin. "Hello beautiful, how're you today?"

"I'm good," she replied, returning his affections. "You?"

Sunflower sighed with a smile on his face. "I'm…happy. I can't imagine life being better than this." He licked her face gently. "It's days like today that reassure me I made the right choice."

"I'm glad you're here," Glade said tenderly. "I love you."

"I love you too." The two were about to lay down, when suddenly they were jumped from behind.

"Super Sisters Strike Squad attack!"

Sunflower felt two small shapes jump on his back, and the grunts he heard on his side, he assumed Glade was getting the same treatment. With a chuckle, he reared up onto his hind legs, throwing the forms to the ground. He turned and pinned them gently to the ground. He smiled as he saw Glade do the same.

The two does under him began to squirm. "Parli, let us up!" one whined.

"Oh, I don't know," Sunflower said, pretending to deliberate, "I don't think you're supposed to let up someone who sneak attacks you. Glade, what do you think?"

She chuckled. "Well, I suppose if the attackers promise to go to sleep tonight **without** putting up a fuss…"

"We promise…" four disappointed voices said. Sunflower and Glade nodded to each other and let the four little does to their feet.

Sunflower reached down and tousled the ears of one of his daughters, smiling as she giggled. "You really should wait until you're bigger, girls. Your mother and I are **very** good fighters."

"We know, but we'll be good one day too," one of them replied.

The smallest of them spoke up. "But Laurel, I don't **want** to be a good fighter! I don't like fighting…"

Sunflower sighed. "Laurel, have you been bullying your sisters again?"

"I'm sorry…" Laurel replied.

"I was the same way when I was little," Glade said. "My marli had the **perfect** way to snap me out of it. Come along, Laurel." Glade and Laurel walked away, leaving Sunflower alone with the other three. Their prank finished, two of his daughters walked off together.

The smallest doe remained, sniffling and staring at the ground. Sam nuzzled her gently. "Lily, what's the matter? Are you alright?"

"Laurel always makes fun of me because I can't fight. But I don't **like** fighting, Parli." She cuddled up to Sunflower's chest. "I'm sorry I can't fight like you and Marli."

He stroked his daughter's back. "Hush now, none of that. You don't need to be a fighter for us to love you." She looked up at him with tearful eyes. "Just look at your Uncle Fiver, or Blackberry. Neither of them fight, but they are very important to me." Sunflower bent down and whispered into his daughter's ear. "Don't tell Bigwig I said this, but there are more important things in life than fighting." Lily chuckled at her father's words. "Feel better?"

She nodded. "Thank you, Parli." A pause. "Can I go play?"

"Of course you can, Lily. Go have fun." She scampered off, leaving Sunflower alone once again.

"Hello, Sunflower," Strawberry said as he walked by. "Such a nice day, don't you think?"

Sunflower smiled and looked to the sky. "Yeah. Thank Frith for that."


	39. Epilogue

Epilogue

Sunflower's eyes opened slowly. Just like everything else he did these days. He looked to his side, and smiled to see his mate there, still asleep. The old rabbit thanked Frith for every day the pair spent together. He laid his head back down, content to sleep in their burrow for a few more hours, when he suddenly felt the air get a bit colder.

"**Hello, Sam**."

Sunflower flinched. He knew that voice. It still occasionally haunted his nightmares, even now. But it was only a momentary fright. Things were good again, what need did he have to be afraid? The old rabbit chuckled. "Frith above, I haven't been called by that name in at least ten years."

The Black Rabbit moved to sit in front of him, a gentle smile on his face. "**I imagine not. You never told anyone else about it, if I remember correctly. The only ones that know would be…you, Glade, Pipkin, Snowdrop, and Blackavar.**"

Sunflower chuckled. "I don't know if I should be honored or frightened that you know us so well. But I know you don't appear to anyone without a reason. I suppose it's time to go? I've lived an amazing life, I'm ready."

"**You know, I never got to properly thank you for freeing me from my anger. I thought it best to simply stay away, and let you live in peace. Frith knows my face is the last you'd ever want to see again. But after all this time, I've finally found the proper way to repay you. Oh, you may wish to wake your mate for this.**"

"'Any who lay their eyes on the Black Rabbit, must with him go,'" Sam quoted. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not."

The Black Rabbit shook his head. "**I've been at this job for centuries, and never before have I seen a pair of rabbits with such devotion to each other. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, depending on how you look at it, that devotion has a long reach. When I take you, she will follow soon after, no matter what you say to try and stop her. If it's all the same to YOU, I think it would be more merciful to allow you to travel together, as you have all your lives. Part one of my gift, if you consider it such.**"

After a moment of deliberation, Sunflower nodded and nuzzled his mate. With a yawn and a stretch of her limbs, Glade awoke. "Is something the matter, Sunflower? I don't remember the last time you were awake this ear-" She broke off with a gasp as she saw the Black Rabbit sharing the burrow with them. "Oh," she finished weakly.

Sunflower nuzzled her gently. "Sorry hun."

"**I apologize for this abruptness, Glade.**" He explained about coming for Sunflower. And for her as well, if she chose. "**So my gift to you, Sam, is time. You and Glade will have one day to say goodbye to your friends.**"

Sunflower and Glade looked at each other in shock. Sunflower was the first to gather his wits enough to speak. "Is...that allowed? I thought death wasn't allowed to bend for anything."

"**And usually I'm not, but you are a special case. After what you did for me, this is the least I could do.**" His story told, he turned to leave. "**This opportunity has never been given before, and never will be again. I suggest you take advantage.**" A puff of black smoke, and he was gone.

Glade leaned her head against Sunflower's shoulder. "So this is it."

He nodded. "Our final adventure together. Well, on this side anyway." They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. "So, what do you think?"

"We can't," Glade replied immediately. "**I** can't. I couldn't face our daughters and tell them the Black Rabbit is coming for us. What if they tried to stop us? What if they tried to **follow**?"

Sunflower nodded wordlessly. She was right, of course. It was a nice thought, but there was a reason no one was given a chance like this. It was simply…unnatural. He nuzzled Glade again. "Let's go." The pair stood, and made their way out of the warren. The sun was barely over the horizon, so they were the only ones awake. They made their way to the edge of the down, and looked back. Tears built in Sunflower's eyes as he remembered everything he and his friends had been through.

He wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world.

"Sunflower! Glade? Where are you going so early?"

The old rabbit's ears fell when he heard the familiar voice. "I was hoping we would be able to avoid them by going this way."

"You and Bigwig taught them too well."

The pair turned to see Pipkin and Snowdrop hopping towards them. The two were getting on in years as well, but their years spent as co-captains of owsla after Bigwig's retirement had kept them healthy. The two mates liked to do early morning patrols themselves, since they rarely seemed to have time alone together during the day. They quickly caught up to Sam and Glade.

"Good morning you two," Pipkin said pleasantly. "You're up early, what's the occasion?" He saw the serious looks on their faces. "What's wrong?"

Sunflower looked to Glade before answering. "The Black Rabbit came to our burrow this morning. He said…he said it was time."

"What?!"

Sunflower explained to the pair the Black Rabbit's gift. And how they had intended to refuse. "I'm sorry," Sunflower finished. "We just didn't think we could take it."

"But you…you can't just **leave**!" Pipkin cried out. Sunflower allowed a small smile to creep onto his face. No matter how old he got, Pipkin always had a hint of his old childishness.

"I'm sorry, Pipkin, but Glade was right. I couldn't stand to say goodbye to everyone. To **really** say goodbye. Even the two of you just-" Sam's voice broke as tears started to form in his eyes.

Pipkin ran to the old rabbit and embraced him. "Sunflower…Sam…I…"

"Call me Sunflower, Pipkin. I made my choice long ago."

Tears stained Sunflower's shoulder as Pipkin struggled to speak. "You've been a part of my life since before I was a season cycle old. You've always been there, I just can't…I can't imagine you gone. What will I say to Lily and the others? They're going to be so sad you didn't say goodbye to them."

"They're the ones we couldn't bear to face," Glade responded. "I know it's a lot to ask, but could you give them our love? It'll hurt, but they'll be alright."

"Of course we can," Snowdrop said, moving to hug Sunflower when Pipkin moved over to Glade. "I'm going to miss you, Uncle Sunflower. Say hello to Gillia for us, will you?"

Sunflower nodded. "I will. I'm sure she'll be happy to know her siblings didn't forget about her after…"

"For the last time, it was **not** your fault," Glade said, nuzzling her mate. "That hrududu came out of nowhere."

"But-"

"We aren't here to reopen old wounds," Pipkin interrupted. "I just...are you sure there's nothing we can do? Can't you even take advantage of the day the Black Rabbit gave you?"

Sunflower shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, Pipkin. But we just can't. It would be too hard. I love you guys. Take care."

Pipkin saluted Sunflower as he and Glade turned back down the hill. "It was an honor to know you, Sunflower. I'm sure I'll see you soon enough."

"Hopefully not **too** soon," Sunflower shot back. "Ready to go?" he asked Glade.

"I'm ready."

Glade and Sunflower walked slowly down the hill, supporting each other in their old age. The Black Rabbit awaited them at the base of the hill with a bemused smile on his face.

"**Done so soon?**"

"We couldn't do it," Sunflower admitted. "It isn't going to change anything. Our time has passed, and we're leaving the warren in good paws. Are you ready, Glade?"

She nodded. "I've always followed you everywhere, whether you wanted me to or not. That's not changing now."

"We're ready."

The Black Rabbit nodded. "**Then come.**"

The Black Rabbit turned away from the down, and began to walk. Sunflower and Glade followed, feeling lighter and stronger than they had in a long time. They wandered away from Watership Down, leaving a warren of beauty and peace in their wake.

**Sainte atha ma u Hrair, kan zyhlante hray a vahra ma hyaones**

* * *

******Important:** The story is NOT DONE YET! I still have a few bonus chapters in the works. Just a few scenes that I think would be fun to explore, but that don't necessarily fit that well into the main story. They will be posted after the epilogue, so don't worry about having to find a separate side-stories thing.**  
**

A/N: It's finally done. This has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever had the pleasure of doing. And a lot of that has come from you, the readers. I honestly didn't think this story would get all that much attention, but your overwhelming response made it easy to see I made the right choice in taking up writing. I have a few people in particular I would like to thank:

**For The Kingdom** was my beta reader through almost the entire project. I was very lucky to have found someone whose style of correcting and assistance meshed so well with my own writing style. I was definitely not the easiest person to work with some times. I remember one particular period where I hadn't sent her anything for a month and a half, but then sent her four chapters in the span of a week. Had I not had her help, this story would have been a lot worse.

**Sharks Potter** is definitely my most prolific reviewer, and that really means a lot to me. His kind words were always nice after posting a chapter. I feel I would be remiss if I did not mention that he also wrote a Watership Down fanfiction called Watership Down: The New World. Although I cannot point out the exact places where it inspired me, I know my story would not look the same had I not read his. It is a fantastic read, but set aside some time if you decide to read it, it's **long**. But still well worth the read!

**Journalist793** was my very first reviewer! Now this may not seem like a big deal to some of you, but when you post a story that you feel certain is going to be ignored, and the first review it gets is so kind and bubbly, well that just makes your day. She took an undetermined leave of absence from fanfiction a little after my story went up, so I don't know if she'll ever read this. But if she does, she should be aware that she went a long way towards the continuation of the story.

Lastly, I would like to thank all the other reviewers, and the silent readers. I don't think I would have been able to write all this if I hadn't gotten any feedback from anyone. I value all my reviewers, and I always tried to answer each review, even if it was to say thank you. And on that note:

Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to read my story!  
-kamikazitwinkie


	40. Bonus Chapter-Three Little Words

A/N: Takes place about two months after the fight at Darkhaven

Three Little Words

It was a beautiful autumn day on Watership Down. Rabbits were lazing about around the hill, and Hannah and Scree were off on a joy flight. Flayrah was plentiful, and it was pleasantly warm for the time of year. By all accounts, it was the perfect day.

But still Sunflower sighed in despair at the foot of the hill, away from the down.

_What the hell is wrong with me_, he mentally berated himself. _How could I just…ugh!_ He buried his face in his paws, trying to shut out the world around him. Suddenly, a weight pressed against him as an unseen rabbit lay down next to him.

"Sunflower, what's wrong? You've been down here for a while now."

Sunflower lifted his head briefly and saw Hazel with a concerned look on his face, before burying his head once again. "I ruined everything, Hazel, **that's **what's wrong. I messed everything up."

"Does this have anything to do with Glade running into the warren in tears a while ago? I tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't speak to me. I think Clover is with her now."

"Yes," Sunflower said miserably, "it has a lot to do with that."

"Care to talk about it?" Hazel asked.

"Well…" 

* * *

Flashback

_ Glade and Sunflower were taking advantage of the beautiful day with an early morning walk through the woods. It was a habit they had gotten into ever since Darkhaven: simply taking some time out of the day and enjoying each other's company. The pair stopped by the stream for a drink when Glade pressed against Sunflower and nuzzled him under the chin._

_ "I'm so glad you stayed," she said with a smile. _

_ He chuckled. "You've said that every day since Darkhaven."_

_ "Well it's true! I don't know what I would have done if you had decided to go back to the human world."_

_ Sunflower bit his lip every time she mentioned his going back. He hadn't had the heart to tell any of his friends that they would have forgotten about him if he had gone back. It wasn't important, and it could only cause them pain if they knew. _

_ Glade looked up into Sunflower's eyes. She seemed hesitant. "When I saw you wake up at Darkhaven, it was one of the happiest moments of my life. Just to know that you were __**okay**__…it was such a relief. But when you surprised me with the news that you were staying with us for good? I was so, __**so**__ happy. I knew that we'd be able to be together forever. I…Sunflower, I love you."_

_ Sunflower's eyes widened in surprise, and his mouth opened slightly. _

_ But nothing came out._

_ A panicked look crossed Glade's face as she stepped away from him slightly. "Did…didn't you hear me, Sunflower? I said I loved you."_

_ "I…I…" was all Sunflower was able to force out. _

_ Glade let out a pained cry as tears began to flow from her eyes. She ran towards the down, leaving a speechless Sunflower behind her. He could not even bring himself to call after her._

* * *

"…and so, my life is ruined. Glade probably hates me for what I did, not that I blame her. How could I have just stood there and said nothing?"

"That's…quite the story, Sunflower," Hazel replied. "And you've been down here since then?"

Sunflower nodded. "I couldn't bring myself to go back to the down just yet. I needed some time to think."

"Well I think the issue here is obvious. **Do** you love her?"

"Of course I do!" Sunflower exclaimed. "I…I've never met anyone like her, either rabbit or human. She's funny, she's smart, and she's kind. You remember back when we were trying to free Primrose and Blackavar from Efrafa? Well when you and Fiver were in the warren, Bigwig remarked about how Primrose looked attractive, and I told him that as a human, I didn't understand how rabbits could be attractive. I do now. Because of **Glade**, I now understand what he was talking about, because she is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. She's…she's just perfect, Hazel."

"Then what's the problem? Go tell her!"

"I just…I don't know if I can."

"Why?"

Sunflower sighed again. "I don't know think you'd understand, Hazel."

"Sunflower," Hazel said with a nudge against his shoulder, "I've been your friend since the first day you came here. Please, let me help you if I can."

Sunflower sighed. "Alright. I just…feel like I'm a freak for being a human in lo-love with a rabbit. The feelings I just told you are real, but I'm not sure if they're allowed, you know? Back in the human world, if someone had feelings like this for an animal, they would be considered crazy at **best**. I guess I just don't know if this is…okay."

A flash of intense sadness passed over Hazel's face as Sam spoke. He replied in a voice just above a whisper. "Is…is that really how you think of us? As just talking animals?"

"No!" Sunflower jumped to his feet and faced Hazel with a pleading look on his face. "Please, Hazel, you have to believe me when I say I don't think that! I care more about you, about **all** of you, than I do about most humans. You're all **people** I love; it doesn't matter that you're in rabbit bodies. I don't care about that."

"So you're saying that you love Glade for the person that she is?"

Sunflower, caught off guard, stuttered, "W-well yes, but-"

"And you care about who a person is, not what they look like, right?"

"Yes, but that's not-"

Hazel pressed on before Sam could come up with an excuse. "So what reason do you have to **not** love Glade? Why can't the person you are, and the person she is, be happy together?"

"I…" Sunflower sat in silence while he processed what Hazel said. "Is…is it really that easy?"

Hazel smiled. "It is if you let it. If you let silly things like this cloud your view, then you'll never get anywhere."

A smile began to appear on Sam's face as well. The first that afternoon. "Thank you, Hazel. I can't believe I was being so stupid."

"It was my pleasure to help, Rusatitha."

Without another word, Sam bolted up the hill. He crested the top and made immediately for the warren.

Clover met him on her way out.

"You…"

"Clover!" Sunflower replied. "Listen, I'm really sorry, but I need to find Gla-"

His words stopped dead as she cuffed him across the face. "Listen carefully, Sunflower. You have one chance to fix this, or not even Frith will be able to save you from me. Got it?" Sunflower nodded meekly. Clover sighed. "She's in the burrow the two of you share." Then she left without another word.

Sunflower walked to the burrow that his and Glade's burrow. Lying at the back of the burrow with her back to him was Glade. Sunflower sighed. "Glade…can we talk?"

"What's the point?" she replied, her voice heavy from crying. "I know what you're going to say. If you didn't want to be with me, you could have at least had the decency to tell me **before** I made a fool of myself."

Sunflower hopped closer to her. He laid a paw on her back, but removed it when she tensed up. "Glade, I never meant to hurt you. Honest I didn't. When you said you…love me, I got scared. I didn't know how to react, and I froze up."

Glade whipped her head around to face him. "Scared? It's **me**, Sunflower! What could you possibly have to be scared of?"

"I was scared I didn't feel the same way. Glade, back in the human world, I wasn't very popular. Sure I had friends, but I never had a girlfriend or anything like that. I never really knew what it was to have someone care about you that much. But when I came here…things changed. Suddenly I had this group of friends who would go to the ends of the earth for me, and I found I would do the same for them. We had some adventures, but the best was still to come. When we freed you and Clover from the farm, things suddenly started to click. You weren't scared of me, you didn't hate me, you were interested in getting to know me for who I was, without our species getting in the way. Meeting you…was the best thing that ever happened to me. But-"

"But you don't care enough for me to **be** with me," Glade interrupted, tears again running down her face.

"Don't say that!" Sunflower yelled loud enough to make her jump in surprise. "Glade, I care about you more than anything. I left my friends, my family, my **home** behind to have a chance to come here and be with you." Tears began to leak from Sunflower's eyes as well. "I left behind everything, and I would do it again in a heartbeat, as long as I knew you were waiting for me on the other side." He moved forward and hugged the doe tightly to his chest. "I **do** care about you, Glade. You have to believe that. And I will never, **ever** leave you."

Glade sniffled and nuzzle deeper into the fur on Sunflower's chest. "I love you, Sunflower."

…

"I love you too."


	41. Bonus Chapter-Rusatitha

A/N: Takes place about a week after Darkhaven.

Rusatitha

"Just go ask him!"

Sunflower groaned. "Come on, Glade, why can't you just tell me? It's just a word. I just want to know what Hazel meant when he called me Rusatitha at Darkhaven. Why can't you just tell me?"

"I told you, Sam. Sunflower, sorry. It's really not my place to tell you. **Hazel** was the one to bring it up, so I think he should be the one to tell you. Just go ask him. It's not as weird as you think it is, trust me."

"Then why won't **you** tell me?" Sunflower whined. "There has to be **something** weird about that word if you won't tell me what it means."

Glade sighed before giving Sunflower a serious look. "Sunflower, do you trust me?"

"Of course I do, but what-"

"Then **trust** me, and go ask Hazel. I **could** tell you what he means, but it wouldn't be right. It would cheapen it. You deserve to hear it from him. And **he** deserves a bit of an earful, but that's not really my place either. I'm sure Primrose already had a talk with him about it."

Sunflower sighed. "I'm not getting anywhere with you, am I?" Glade shook her head. "Fine. I'll go find Hazel then."

"Go on. You'll thank me later."

Getting up from where the two were sitting, Sunflower went in search of the chief. He found Hazel chatting with Bigwig and Spartina under the shade of the beech tree. "Hey, Hazel," he called over, "I have a question for you."

Hazel's ears perked up when he heard Sunflower call for him. "What is it, Sam? I'm sorry, I mean Sunflower. I'm still getting used to that." Because Sunflower was going to be staying with the Watership Down rabbits for good, he insisted that he be called by his rabbit name. Many of the rabbits were still adjusting to the change.

"It's fine," Sunflower replied as he sat down. "I know it's still a little weird. But listen, I had something I really wanted to ask you."

"I'm listening," Hazel replied. Bigwig and Spartina cocked their ears forward curiously too.

"Back at Darkhaven, you called me Rusatitha. At the time I was a little distracted with not being dead, but I remembered it the other day, and I was wondering what it meant. Apparently it doesn't translate to English, or I think my rainbow powers would have let me understand it."

There was a moment of silence before Bigwig started chuckling. "I said you wouldn't get off that easily, Hazel."

Spartina looked between Hazel and Sunflower for a moment before turning to Bigwig with disbelief on her face. "You mean he…?"

"Nope," Bigwig responded while getting to his feet. "Come on, let's leave them alone. I think Hazel has some explaining to do."

Sunflower watched the two of them go before turning back to Hazel. "That really didn't clear anything up."

Hazel sighed. "I'm sorry, Sunflower. I really shouldn't have called you that. Rusatitha or Rusamitha are titles that rabbits give to each other when they care deeply about each other. It translates to heart-brother or heart-sister. It is not a title given lightly. It means you care for the other as though you were brothers. But it can, and often does, go far beyond that. In my case, it means I value and love you as much as Fiver or Primrose. But…" Hazel's ears drooped in embarrassment. "It is supposed to be mutual. The formation of a heart-brother or heart-sister bond is usually accompanied by a ceremony. It is incredibly rude and presumptuous to refer to someone as rusatitha unless they have agreed to the bond. I apologize."

"So that's why Glade didn't tell me?" Sunflower asked.

"Yes," Hazel confirmed. "The bond between heart-brothers is almost sacred. It is between them and them alone." Sunflower was surprised when he saw Hazel's eyes begin to shimmer with tears. "I'm so sorry, Sunflower. To insist on such a bond, and to try and force it on another is a horrible thing to do. Can you forgive me?"

Sunflower was surprised. _I didn't realize this was such a serious thing. I better make sure I handle this right. _He put a paw on his friend's shoulder. "Hazel, don't worry, I promise I'm not offended. I'm flattered if anything. And I'd be honored to be your heart-brother."

Hazel immediately perked up. "You mean it, Sunflower? Please don't feel like I'm trying to force you. If you aren't sure, take some time to think about it."

"You're my best friend, Hazel," Sunflower said sincerely. "I wouldn't have been able to make it if it hadn't been for you. If it hadn't been for your support, I don't even know if the others would have accepted me at all. You always had my back when I needed you. Even when the Black Rabbit started targeting me, and it would have been safer for me to go off on my own, you insisted I stay. That…that really meant a lot to me."

"Everyone was behind you-"

"But **you** were the one that mattered, Hazel," Sunflower interrupted. "You could have convinced them to let me go. As far as the safety of the warren was concerned, it would have been much smarter. Then Pipkin and the junior owsla wouldn't have been attacked. And the Black Rabbit wouldn't have tried to invade Fiver's mind. But despite all that, you still stuck by my side. Now I don't know much about this heart-brother thing, but that's something that family would do. So…I accept."

Hazel nuzzled the side of Sunflower's face. "That's amazing to hear, Sunflower. Thank you!"

Sunflower chuckled. "It's my pleasure. Now about this ceremony you mentioned…" 

* * *

Later that evening, all the rabbits of the warren were gathered in the Honeycomb. Sunflower and Hazel were on the speaking platform, along with Bigwig, who would be overseeing the ceremony. Everyone was silent as Bigwig spoke, just as he had rehearsed.

"Everyone, we gather today to witness one of the most sacred rights given to rabbitkind by Frith. The Heart Bond Ceremony. Becoming heart brothers is not a step taken lightly. It title given to a pair who have opened their hearts to each other and become one in friendship. It is a union transcending blood, or upbringing. To make this bond, is to truly connect with one another. Hazel, Sunflower, you have both sought to into a heart bond with each other. Is this correct?"

"Yes."

"It is."

Bigwig nodded, a ghost of a smile on his lips despite the seriousness of the ceremony. "Then step forward." Hazel and Sunflower stepped to the center of the platform, with Bigwig standing between them. "To symbolize your commitment to one another, you will share the blood of your heart." Bigwig walked over to Sunflower first, and with little ceremony, slashed him in the chest. Three parallel wounds appeared, bleeding lightly. Turning, the captain did the same to Hazel. Without a word, the pair walked to each other and touched their paw to the others chest, blood staining their pawpads. With a shared smile, they touched the bloody paws to their own wounded chests.

Bigwig's voice echoed through the warren. "With the sharing of your blood, the heart bond is formed. May Frith light your path as you walk down it side by side."


	42. Bonus Chapter-The Road Not Taken

A/N: This chapter is a bit different from the others. At the end of chapter 36, Sam made the choice to stay with his friends. But what if he had chosen otherwise? This is an alternate universe look at what might have been. Credit goes to Sharks Potter for giving me the idea for this chapter.

*Dialogue in _**bolded italics **_are being said in lapine, and are translated for ease of reading.

The Road Not Taken

Sam groaned as light hit his eyes.

"Is he waking up?!"

A voice. It was female, and familiar. Sam squirmed when he heard the voice. He longed to hear it again. He had not heard it in far too long.

A few other voices joined the first.

"He is! I just saw him move!" Female, still familiar, but less so.

"Stand back, give him some air." Male, very familiar.

"No! Get out of my way, I need to see him! Just let me see him, please!" The first voice again.

The voices died down, and something soft caressed Sam's face. The voice whispered softly in his ear. "Please, Sam, wake up. You **have** to wake up. Please!" How could he refuse such a request? The teen's eyes flickered open.

A face smiled down at him. "Oh Sam, you're awake. Thank God."

Sam smiled weakly. "Hi Mom."

The choice had been obvious. How could Sam abandon his family? He owed his friends at Watership Down everything, and although they would never know it, he repaid them with peace. Pipkin would never be tortured. Silverweed and Fiver would never have their minds invaded. Campion would have it harder this way, but he was strong. And Blackberry would be there for him. There was only one rabbit not accounted for…

* * *

The following year and a half passed like a blur. Sam finished the year of school he missed while in his "coma" in only five months, amazing his friends and family. The physical therapy to restore the teen's atrophied muscles took a fraction of the time it should have, allowing him to get back to a relatively normal life.

Well…except for one last thing.

"They're back this way."

Sam followed the farmer silently as the two walked to his barn. The farm had not changed much since he saw it last. The stone fence still had a hole in it, the dog was still lazing about in his house, and there was still a cat stalking around the farmyard. The feline glanced at Sam, examining the newcomer. The teen glared silently back when he was sure the farmer was not looking. _I don't care if we never technically met, I'll __**still**__ take you down if you come in kicking range._ As the two walked into the barn, Sam's attention snapped back to the matter at hand.

The farmed stood next to a rabbit hutch as he addressed Sam. "Well, here they are. Now, how did you say you found this place again? And why would you come all the way from America just to buy a rabbit?"

Sam smiled as he knelt down in front of the hutch. "I owe a friend. I want her, the one in the back." The rabbit he pointed at looked back at him curiously.

"I…don't know if I can let that one go," the farmer replied. "She's my son's favorite, and-"

"Three hundred pounds."

"…Sold. Do you have a cage with you?"

Sam undid the latch on the hutch. "It's fine, I'll just take her as is." He reached in and whispered too quietly for the farmer to hear, "_**Glade, I'm a friend. Stay calm and come with me.**_" Hearing a human speak to her in lapine shocked the rabbit, and Sam took advantage of her freeze and scooped her up. He nodded to the farmer and walked out of the barn.

Making sure no one was watching him, Sam hopped over the stone fence and began carrying Glade towards Watership Down. By this point, Glade had recovered from her initial surprise and was staring up at Sam curiously. "_**Don't worry, I'm taking you somewhere safe. Somewhere better than a life with humans. Remember the rabbits that Clover left with?**_" Glade's ears perked up when she heard Clover's name. Sam smiled, "_**I'm taking you to them. With Clover backing you, I don't think you'll have any trouble getting them to accept you. But if they do, just say Prince Rainbow's Messenger sent you.**_" They made it to the base of the hill, and Sam gently set Glade down on the ground. "_**Just head to the top of the hill. You'll find their warren in the base of the tree.**_" The doe took a few hops towards the hill before turning back to Sam. "_**Go,**_**" **he reassured her, "_**you'll be happy there. You're welcome.**_"

Sam watched as Glade bolted up the hill, probably ecstatic to see Clover again. A tear slid down his cheek as a smile pulled on his face. "Goodbye Glade." He turned and walked back to his rental car, satisfied, and ready to move on to with his human life.


End file.
